The following is printed from the UNOS website as released July 24, 2009.
See: http://unos.org/news/newsDetail.asp?id=1278

Federal investigators have announced a series of arrests of individuals in the state of New Jersey. Among the various criminal allegations made by authorities is that an individual offered to arrange living donor transplants in the United States in return for compensation, and that this individual would instruct potential living donors to falsely portray their motivation to donate.

This is the first time that such specific criminal allegations have been made, with the potential to involve transplants in the United States. This is highly troubling to the entire transplant community. We hope that all facts are fully and swiftly uncovered, in the interest of maintaining public trust in the transplant system.

These allegations are properly addressed by law enforcement and the judicial system. The Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN), operated by United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) under federal contract with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), is not in a position to comment on the specifics of the investigation.

All transplant hospitals and organ procurement organizations are bound by federal law and regulation, which explicitly prohibits any exchange of "valuable consideration" for transplantation as outlined in the National Organ Transplant Act of 1984.

The OPTN is responsible for monitoring compliance with OPTN policies regarding organ allocation and the reporting of donation- and transplant-related data. The OPTN is also obliged to investigate potential infractions of the OPTN Final Rule, the regulatory framework of the national transplant network. If in its established reviews of these activities the OPTN were to discover evidence of any threat to patient or public safety, or potential violations of federal law or regulation, it would immediately report this information to HRSA for referral to the appropriate legal authority. If asked, the OPTN will fully cooperate with any request from federal law enforcement authorities to assist in their investigation.

Make your comments on the story above?  click on: TRIO Bulletin Board  Log in and post your questions, ideas and topics. Communicate with other transplant recipients, donors and families.  Check out our new topics and add your own suggestions.  Help build this community with your own postings to help others.  Add your own questions and thoughts.