United States v. Dotson

ORDER AND JUDGMENT *

SCOTT M. MATHESON, JR., Circuit Judge.

This appeal concerns sentencing for adoption fraud. Davanna Dotson told at least 40 adoptive parents in multiple states that she wanted to place her child with them for adoption. She contacted these prospective parents or their adoption attorneys and solicited money to facilitate the promised adoption. She was indicted for 22 counts of wire fraud under 18 U.S.C. § 1343 and pled guilty to one of them.

At sentencing, the district court determined at least one of Ms. Dotson’s victims, Carrie Rowe, was a “vulnerable victim” under the United…