Paul Petersen changes plea in federal human trafficking case

Little Rock, Ark. • A former Arizona official accused of running an illegal adoption scheme in three states involving women from the Marshall Islands is changing his plea in Arkansas.A federal judge on Tuesday set a change-of-plea hearing for Paul Petersen, a Republican who served as Maricopa County’s assessor for six years until his resignation in January.Petersen last week pleaded guilty to human smuggling and fraud charges in Arizona and Utah.He is accused of illegally paying women