The Empty Crib

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Furlow did successfully place two babies with adoptive parents. But in the vast majority of cases, according to the indictment, she spent most of her time telling stories. Even when she was not trying to extract more money from clients, she created new, gratuitous dramas, her victims say. "She enjoyed controlling other people's lives," Kiser-Mostrom says now. "I think it gave her some kind of thrill."

Experts say the best way to avoid getting conned is to be skeptical. They suggest calling government licensing agencies and the Better Business Bureau. But one Furlow victim, John Nakai of Littleton, Colo., did both. State employees told him they don't track facilitators, and the Better Business Bureau for Eastern Pennsylvania had (and has had to this day) no complaints about her.

At her sentencing in September, Furlow could receive up to 15 years in prison--though prosecutors expect she will get far less. Dozens of her victims plan to attend. The court will not have room for all the heartbreak.