Four Michigan adoptive parents charged with 36 child abuse and conspiracy crimes

LANSING, Mich. (FOX 2) - Four adults adopted children for financial gain before abusing them while they were in their care, the state attorney general alleges.

The four adults include Joel and Tammy Brown, and Jerry and Tamal Flore, who have since been charged with 36 criminal counts including child abuse and interfering with a criminal investigation.

One of the defendants, Brown, is a former employee of the state's Children's Services Agency Office of Advocate for Children, Youth, and Families and used his knowledge of the field to circumvent child abuse investigations, AG Dana Nessel said.

They have cared for at least 30 children since 2007.

"These egregious allegations highlight not only a moral and legal failure of those entrusted with the children’s care, but a failure in our systems to ensure children placed in custody are properly taken care of," said Nessel.

Nessel's office said the two couples "preyed upon" the kids they adopted who had previously lived in abusive homes, alleging they used "prolonged routine and systemic mental and physical abuse under the guise of discipline" when they fostered children.

Evidence of abuse was given from eight of the couples' adopted kids.

The charges are as follows:

Joel Brown, 54, faces five charges:

Count 1: Child Abuse 1st Degree, a potential life-sentence felony;
Count 2: Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Count 3: Child Abuse 3rd Degree, a 2-year felony;
Count 4: Interfering with a Crime Report a 1-year misdemeanor;
Count 5: Failure to Report Child Abuse, a 93-day misdemeanor

Tammy Brown, 53, faces three charges:

Count 1: Child Abuse 1st Degree, a potential life-sentence felony;
Count 2: Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Count 3: Child Abuse 3rd Degree, a 2-year felony

Jerry Flore, 58, faces 11 charges:

Counts 1-6: Child Abuse 1st Degree, a potential life-sentence felony;
Count 7: Child Abuse 1st Degree Committed in the Presence of Another Child, a potential life-sentence felony;
Count 8: Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Count 9: Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Count 10: Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Count 11: Interfering with a Crime Report, a 1-year misdemeanor

Tamal Flore, 56, faces 17 charges:

Counts 1-6: Child Abuse 1st Degree, a potential life-sentence felony;
Count 7: Child Abuse 1st Degree Committed in the Presence of Another Child, a potential life-sentence felony;
Count 8: Conspiracy to Commit Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Count 9-10: Child Abuse 2nd Degree, a 10-year felony;
Counts 11-16: Child Abuse 3rd Degree, a 2-year felony;
Count 17: Interfering with a Crime Report, a 1-year misdemeanor