Woman who bought baby pleads guilty

KOKOMO, Ind. (WISH) - A judge has accepted a plea deal for a woman who bought a baby with money and drugs in 2009.

A tip prompted the investigation last fall, which revealed a faulty adoption application and led to the arrest of Melissa Lynch and three others.

According to Howard County Sheriff Department records, she and her husband, Stephen, took custody of the child in October 2009 and gave the child’s parents, Ann and Brandon Riggs, more than $13,000 cash and drugs in exchange for the child, 24-Hour News 8 news partner the Kokomo Tribune reports.

Wednesday, a Howard County judge accepted Melissa Lynch’s plea bargain, in which she pleaded guilty to conspiracy to deal drugs and profiting from an adoption. She was sentenced to eight years in prison and four years probation.

Her husband made a similar deal last month and was sentenced to seven years in prison, one year of home detention and four years probation.

In a separate hearing Wednesday, the judge rejected a plea deal for Brandon Riggs. A new plea deal is expected to be made that incorporates an unrelated theft charge, the newspaper reports.

Anna Riggs has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to possess narcotics, conspiracy to commite child selling and welfare fraud. She was sentenced to a year in jail and two and a half years probation. She was also ordered to complete drug and alcohol treatment and pay more than $2,000 restitution to the state Family and Social Services Administration.