The Cleveland FBI searched the offices of European Adoption Consultants in Strongsville on Tuesday.File photo
STRONGSVILLE, Ohio — The Cleveland FBI raided an international adoption agency based in Strongsville Tuesday as part of an ongoing criminal investigation, a spokeswoman confirmed.
The visit by federal agents to European Adoption Consultants comes less than two months after the U.S. State Department barred the company from conducting adoption services for three years.
The State Department’s investigation found that the company and its providers committed multiple violations, including charging unreasonably high fees for the services provided. The investigation also says the company withheld or misrepresented information about children in multiple cases and encouraged clients who had concerns about the company to not file complaints, among other violations.
FBI spokeswoman Vicki Anderson only confirmed that agents visited the company’s Alameda Drive headquarters as well as a house. She said the investigation is ongoing and court filings are sealed.
A message left with the agency was not immediately returned. A note on its website says that “we do not feel the action is warranted and we are evaluating our appeal and the other options available to us.”
The State Department says European Adoption Consultants operates adoption programs in Bulgaria, China, Colombia, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Honduras, India, Panama, Poland, Tanzania, Uganda and Ukraine.
This story will be updated.
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