Strongsville Adoption Agency Director Pleads Guilty To Fraud: DOJ

STRONGSVILLE, OH — The former director of a Strongsville-based adoption agency pleaded guilty last week to defrauding authorities in two nations.

Margaret Cole, 74, from Strongsville, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and making a false statement to a Polish authority. She will be sentenced on May 27.

Cole worked with Debra Parris to deceive authorities during the adoption process for two children from Poland, court documents said. When Cole learned that one of her clients could not care for one of the two Polish children they were adopting, she tried to transfer the child into the care of Parris's relatives, court documents said.

Parris's relatives were not legally approved for international adoption, court documents said.

Parris previously pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and to commit visa fraud in connection with a scheme to fraudulently procure adoptions of children from Uganda through bribes to Ugandan officials, prosecutors said.

The FBI's Cleveland field office is leading the investigation into Cole, Parris and potential adoption scams.