NIKTO NE ZABYT -- NICHTO NE ZABYTO

С Новым годом

2011-12-31T22:52:00.000-05:00

Дед Мороз и Снегурочка

2011-12-24T20:10:00.000-05:00

Ivan Skorobogatov: Cravers Lose Appeal

2011-12-23T22:28:00.000-05:00

The Cravaers were back on court this week . Both courts. The results were as expected.

Wednesday morning, York County Common Pleas Court Judge John S Kennedy, who presided at their trial, denied separate appeals from the Cravers for retrials. The couple, who earlier escaped death penalty specs, was tried for murder, but convicted on lesser charges of involuntary manslaughter, two counts of child endangerment, and conspiracy. They appealed their case on the flimsy grounds that their convictions were "against the weight of the evidence." The Cravers were charged in the death of their adoptive son Vanya Skorobogatov who died of severe beatings and malnutrition in 2009. In their appeals, the couple argued that with their convictions and probations hanging over their heads, they can't find work and have been forced to move in with friends. Michael Craver is reportedly an Air Force veteran and an engineer by profession..

Thrown into the pot (which I'd not seen published before) was the couple's request that their court costs of nearly $100,000 be cut half.

Some people just don't' know when to quit.when they're ahead.

I disagreed with the flop to involuntary manslaughter and the wrist-slap sentence. I thought Judge Kennedy equivocated when he said the verdict was appropriate and just. But he stuck it to the Cravers this time. It's too bad there's no online transcript. .From the York Dispatch, Cravers' manslaugahter convictions stand, judge won't reduce $98K court costs,"

Cravers' former home where Vanya was killed

Kennedy said he wished state law would allow him to order the Cravers to pay the costs of their defense as well.

But because the Cravers were represented by public defenders and court-appointed counsel, they cannot be billed for defense fees, chief deputy prosecutor Tim Barker said.

"The taxpayers of York County should be reimbursed" for defense costs, as well as prosecution costs, Kennedy said. He noted the Cravers have earning potential, unlike many other defendants who will never be able to pay off their court costs.

Defense attorneys declined to say how much defense fees totaled, and that information is not available to the public.

I'm surprised that the public defender costs aren't public information. They should be. After all, the public paid the bill. Over 30 years ago I was part of a defense team in a successful capital murder appeal in Ashtabula County, Ohio. Our costs were around $100,000 in 1978 money. It should have twice that, but a good part of the work was pro bono and the defendant went pro se. The state's cost was over $200,000 and came close to busting the county prosecutor's bank account. Of course, if the Cravers had been able to hire their own lawyers the costs would have taken them on a trip to Mars, and they might have gotten a worse.deal. . They got off cheap and lucky and should be happy.

The Dispatch doesn't mention what the Cravers plan to do now, but the next step, if they pursue it, would be to take their appeal to the Pennsylvania Superior Court.

Hours before the Cravers were in York County Common Pleas Court crying innocent, and poor, the Moscow City Court was busy upholding an earlier ruling refusing to issue an Interpol arrest warrant on the couple to haul them back to Moscow for a show trial. The article which appears in different forms from RIA Novosti and the Russian Legal Inforamtion Agency (scroll down and hit link) is awkwardly translated in English, and leaves a big hole in the story. According to both sources, though, the court also dismissed an appeal filed by Vanya's aunt. This is the first time we've heard of an aunt trying to bring charges.

Masha Allen Discussion

2011-12-13T12:23:00.000-05:00

For those interested in the Masha Allen case, a discussion has developed on it at my main blog The Daily Bastardette, Santorum called out on Sandusky During Iowa Speech. The discussion involves her second "Forever Family: Faith Allen and her continued abandonment by "friends.".

Russian Adoptee Reported Murdered in Canada

2011-12-12T23:11:00.000-05:00

Voice of Russia says that a 4-year old Russian-Canadian adoptee named Sasha, has been beaten to death by the live-in boyfriend of his Forever Mother.

Saturday, Russian Children's Rights Commissioner Pavel Astakhov sent a tweet about the death which I've read, but offered no other details, and as of this writing there are no additional messages. No statement has been published by the Russian Ministry of Education and Science in either Russian or English or by TAR-Tass News Agency or any other Russian online source. .

I'll be watching this story.

UPDATE: One of my readers, Andraya Charette has pointed out to me that this is an old case from 2002--but that the Russian government has only now has become aware of it. The little boy's name was Sacha Valee. I have some more information on the case, but it's late, so I'll put it up tomorrow probably..

Andraya pointed me to an article published today by the Russian Legal Information Agency (l'l be linking that publication permanently in my sidebar on Niko) article, Children's Ombudsman reports death of Russian-born child adopted in Canada.. The article quotes RIA Novisti, which wasn't listed when I googled earlier this evening:

"It is an old case. It happened in 2002, but it became known only now," Astakhov told RIA Novosti.

According to him this case was uncovered by a group set up to monitor the status of the adopted children.

On Saturday Astakhov said he did not rule out imposing a moratorium on children's adoption and relocation to the United States before the US - Russian adoption agreement is ratified.

He said a dangerous situation has developed abroad when a huge number of violations of Russian-born children's rights keeps on growing. He also emphasized the gravest situation over children's rights violations can be seen in the United States.

The haphazard way in which the murders of Russian adoptees is reported to the Russian government is alarming to say the least. Just how many murders have occurred that we don't know about (even if they are reported locally) in the US, Canada, or other countries? .Since the Russians have formed a monitoring group, we may be hearing of more soon.

Astakhov also brought up a case of sexual abuse which boggles the mind. I'll be looking for more on this:

According to his information there is an American family which adopted 21 girls from Russia with the purpose of sexually abusing them. "We have found out dozens of such case now," the ombudsman said.

If this is true, the Russian courts fall down on the job, too.

Much thanks to Andraya Charette!

UPDATE: THE RUSSIAN ADOPTED DEAD: A REVIEW OF KILLERS AND SENTENCES

2011-12-07T14:38:00.001-05:00

UPDATED POST:
Since 1996, 7 Russian children have died at the hands of their forever families. Except for Dmitry Yakolev/Chase Harrison, all were victims of physical abuse, starvation, and systematic torture by adults who were judged by the US adoption industry and the US and Russian governments to be fit to adopt someone else's children. The Polreis case attracted national attention, but most cases, until recently, have rarely gotten more than a few lines. The Russian press has covered some, but not all of the cases, and covered the Harrison case extensively. Lately it has covered the Dykstra and Craver classes. The Russian Investigate Committee is now looking into some if not all of the cases, and threatening to take action on its own. Though it is highly unlike that Russian courts will accede to the wishes of the IC, the investigations and threats are indicative of the anger and frustration the Russian government has with Russian-US cross-country adoption.

Below is a summary of the legal outcomes of the 17 cases on record. . These summaries are taken from the larger account of each case found at my Forever Family, Forever Dead blog entry. There are also many links to these cases in the larger summary. Outside of Peggy Sue Hilt and Gary and Amy Thompson, the sentences have been relatively short and most of the forever parents are now on the street. I have no idea what the average sentence is for killing your child. I do know there is great disparity not only amongst states but amongst jurisdiction for killing children, so I can't say that these bad sentences reflect a general trend or are just what they are. Whatever, it is shocking to see that monsters like Robert and Brenda Matthey and Heather Lindorff out and about. Her husband, however, checked into the Gray Bar Hotel himself after he was convicted of trying to hire a hitman to kill a witness in the family's earlier trial.

This entry is a backgrounder for my own future writings and is also intended as a guide to domestic and international media t and scholars who check in here. When pictures of the dead children are available, I have included them here. Pictures of the forever parents, whenever available are placed below "Outcome."

.******

DAVID POLREIS, JR,/KONSTANTIN SHLEPIN

age 2, Greeley, Colorado. Died February 9, 1996; beaten and cut over 90% of his body.

OUTCOME: Adoptive mother Renee Polreis was convicted of child abuse resulting in death and sentenced to 18 years in prison. In 2000 her sentence was reduced; she was paroled in 2005.

LOGAN HIGGINBOTHAM (birth name unknown)

age 3, Shelburne, Vermont. Died November 25, 1998 of massive head injuries. The medical examiner was unable to determine if death was an accident or homicide. Three years later police reopened the case with other medical experts and concluded that Logan's head had been intentionally slammed into a wall.

OUTCOME: In 2004, Laura Higginbotham pled no contest to a charge of involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 1 year in prison. She will remain on parole until her older daughter, Layne also adopted from Russia is 18. Higginbotham has divorced, remarried, and has a biological child.

VIKTOR MATTHEY/ VIKTOR SERGIVICH TULIMOV

ge 6, Hunterdon County, New Jersey. Died October 31, 2000 of cardiac arrest due to hypothermia after adoptive parents Robert and Brenda Matthey locked him overnight in a damp unheated pump room; also suffered over 40 cuts, scrapes, bruises and untreated fractures. Robert Matthey admitted beating Viktor with an aluminum baseball bat, a belt, 2 whips, and his open hand
.

OUTCOME: Jury acquitted the couple on evidence tampering charges; deadlocked on manslaughter charges, but convicted them of lesser abuse. Both sentenced to 10 years in prison for confining Viktor to the pump room, 10 years for inflicting excessive corporal punishment and 7 years for failing to provide medical care. The sentences were to run concurrently. Brenda Matthey was released from prison on November 1, 2008. Robert Matthey was released on November 7, 2008.

LUKE EVANS, (birth name unknown)

age 1.5, Lowell, Indiana. Died November 30, 2001 of massive head injuries, shaken baby syndrome, and poor nutrition.

OUTCOME: On June 30, 2006 Natalie Fabian Evans was found not guilty of murder, battery and neglect of a dependent after a doctor for the defense convinced a jury that Luke could have had "bleeding in his brain for days prior to the day" he was found unresponsive in his crib.Evans and her husband divorced during the proceedings.

JACOB LINDORFF, (birth name unknown)

age 5, Gloucester Twp., New Jersey. Died December 14, 2001 of blunt force trauma to head. Also suffered from 2nd degree burns on feet, hemorrhaging in 1 eye; bruises, and seizures.

OUTCOME: Adoptive mother Heather Lindorff, 36, was found guilty of 2nd degree endangering, aggravated assault. She was sentenced to 6 years. She claimed the injuries were accidents and begged judge not to separate her from her family. Adoptive father, James, 54, sentenced to 4 years probation and 400 hours of community service for child abuse. In May 2004, Heather Lindorff was released on appeal bond and ordered not to visit her children without supervision. That same month DYFS learned that children were back living with the Lindorffs. Medical examinations found four children were malnourished, abused, and neglected. Heather Lindorff was released from prison on November `6, 2009. In September 2007, James Lindorff and Mildred Cullinan were charged in a murder-for-hire plot to kill a witness at the Lindorff trial. On August 7, 2008 James Lindorff was convicted and sentenced to a maximum of 7 years with a minimum term of 5 years 11 months and 12 days. He will be eligible for parole on April 16, 201. His mother-in-law Mildred Cullinan pled down to a charge of hindering an investigation and was sentenced to 90 days in jail

JESSICA ALBINA HAGMANN (birth name unknown)

age 2 years, 7 months, Prince William County, Virginia. Died August 11, 2003 of mechanical asphyxia due to compression against an adult: lack of blood and oxygen possibly due to "holding therapy"performed by her adoptive mother Patrice Lynne Hagmann.

OUTCOME: In December 2003 Patrice Hagmann took an Alford plea ( pleading no contest, without acknowledging guilt). Prosecutors recommended 14 years in prison, In January 2004 the court sentenced her to five years for each charge, suspended dependent on five years probation.

ZACHARY HIGIER /NIKITA KHORYAKOVONT,

age 2, Braintree, Massachusetts. Died August 15, 2002 of severe trauma to the head. Jacob had a bilateral skull fracture, a massive stroke on the right side of his brain, a smaller stroke on left side, brain swelling and detached retinas.

OUTCOME: Adoptive mother Natalya Higier pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 2 1/2 years in jail, with 18 months balance of sentence suspended for 4 years; also required to attend anger management classes.

MARIA ANASTASIA BENNETT, (birth name unknown)

age 2, Lancaster, Ohio. Died October 23, 2002 of Shaken Baby Syndrome. Medical evidence indicated fatal head wounds and eye injuries could not be caused by such a drop.

OUTCOME: Bennett pled no contest to 1 count of reckless homicide. She originally faced 8 years in prison. Prosecutors recommended 4 years, but said they would not oppose probation after 2 years served. Bennett was sentenced to 3 years.

LIAM DMITRY THOMPSON/ DMITRY SERGEVICH ISHLANKULOV

age 3, Galloway, Ohio. Died October 16, 2003 at Columbus Doctors Hospital West of scalding and neglect. Five days earlier, adoptive father, Gary Allen Thompson, put Liam in a bathtub of 140 degree water causing 2nd and 3rd degree burns; skin peeled off legs. Instead of seeking treatment Thompson put him on a crib mattress in an unheated basement. Adoptive mother, LPN Amy Lynn Thompson, whose diary revealed she didn't like Liam or his adopted sister, failed to notice the seriousness of burns for 2 days, then treated him with Tylenol and Vaseline. Liam was taken to the hospital only when he went into respiratory failure. Autopsy revealed severe burns on both legs, right arm, back, and buttocks; bruises on neck, right side of upper lip, right eye, both cheeks and forehead. The official cause of death is listed as "thermal injuries."

OUTCOME: Amy Thompson pled guilty to child endangering and involuntary manslaughter and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. She is currently incarcerated in the Marysville Reformatory for Women and is scheduled for release on October 9, 2017..Gary Thompson pled guilty to murder and was sentenced to 15-life. His first parole hearing will be in August 2018.

ALEX PAVLIS/ ALEX GEIKO

age 6, Schaumburg, Illinois. Died December 19, 2003 of severe beating. Adoptive mother Irma Pavlis admitted to punching Alex hard in the stomach and slapping him.

OUTCOME: Irma Pavlis sentenced to 12 years for involuntary manslaughter. She was paroled on March 28, 2008 and resides out of state. She was released from released from parole on March 29, 2009.

DENNIS GENE MERRYMAN/ DENIS URITSKY

age 8, Harford County, Maryland. Died January 22, 2005 of cardiac arrest brought on by starvation; weighed 37 pounds, 2 pounds less than when doctors examined him in October 2000. Medical examiner could find no underlying conditions and ruled death a homicide.

OUTCOME: On April 17, 2008, adoptive parents Samuel and Donna Merryman On April 17, 2008 they were each sentenced to 22 years in prison. Samuel is currently incarcerated at the Maryland Correctional Institution in Hagerstown; Donna is at Patuxent Correctional Mental Health Center in Jessup.

NINA HILT/ VIKTORIA BAZHENOVA

age 2.5, Wake Forest, North Carolina. Died July 2, 2005 on A visit to Manassas, Virginia, from blows to the abdominal area. Adoptive mother, Peggy Sue Hilt, 33, told investigators she was "enraged and angered" at Nina, shook her, dropped her on floor, kicked her in the stomach, then picked her up, put her in bed and continued to strike her with a closed right fist on her back and stomach

OUTCOME: On May 25, 2006, Hilt was sentenced to 35 years in prison with 10 years suspended; will serve 21-22 years due to time served awaiting trial.She is currently incarcerated at the Fluvanna Correction Center for Women in Troy, Virginia. Her expected release date is October 6, 2022.

ISAAC JONATHAN DYKSTRA/ILYA KARGYNTSEV

age 21 months, Iowa City. Died August 14, 2005 , the day after he was hospitalized for injuries reportedly incurred from an accidental fall a few days earlier. On August 7, 2008, after a nearly 3-year investigation, adoptive father, Brian Dykstra, 31, was charged with 2nd degree murder.

OUTCOME: Dykstra released on bond. Due to the complexity of the case the prosecution and defense asked for several postponements over the next three years. As a result, Dykstra didn't go to trial until the end of October 2011. On November 3, 2011, despite a preponderance of evidence from doctors, nurses, police, and pathologists that in their opinion he killed Ilya, Dykstra was acquitted of all charges. Judging from news reports, the jury appeared to prefer the testimony of character witnesses.over scientific evidence. Dykstra and his wife, Dr. Lisa DeWaard Dykstra are now divorced, but she testified for the defense. Nearly a month after the verdict, on December 3, 2011. the Russian Investigative Committee, announced it was opening a case file on Dykstra and doing its own investigation. According to numerous Russian sources, the US State Department, contrary to agreement, had never informed Russian authorities about Ilya's death.and they heard about it only after the trial was over.

NICOLI (KOLYA) EMELYANTSEV

age 14 months, Tooele, Utah. Died March 7, 2008 from a "significant skull fracture" caused by blunt force trauma. Adoptive mother, Kimberly Emelyantsev 33, charged with murder. Charles against her husband, Fyodor, a Russian national, were dropped. During her post-conviction psychiatric evaluation she admitted grabbing Kolya by an arm and leg and repeatedly slamming him in the floor. Kolya suffered from Down Syndrome.

OUTCOME: Kimberley Emelyantsev, pled guilty to a lowered charge of 2nd degree felony child abuse homicide. On October 10, 2008 she was sentenced to up to 15 years in prison. I can find no current information on Emelyantsev's whereabouts (she should still be in prison), but according to his Facebook page, husband Fyodor Emelyantsev has returned to Russia and is living in Novosibirsk.

CHASE HARRISON/
DMITRY ALEXANDRIVCH YAKOLEV

age 21 months, Purcellville, Virgina. Died July 8, 2008 in Herndon, Virginia after adoptive father Miles Harrison, 49, left him in SUV for nine hours in up to 91 degree heat. Temperature inside anywhere between 131-172,.

Outcome: On December 18, 2008 Miles Harrison was acquitted of involuntary manslaughter in a bench trial.

NATHANIEL MICHAEL CRAVER/ IVAN "VANYA" SKOROBOGATOV

age 7. Dillsburg/Carroll Township, Pennsylvania. Died August 25, 2009 at Penn State Hershey Medical Center after being taken off life support. The autopsy revealed Vanya suffered 80 external injuries, including 20 to the head. Old injuries, including fractures to his forehead and old blood beneath his scalp were found. The coroner also found evidence of malnourishment and "severe failure to thrive." Adopters Michael 45 and Nanette Craver, 54, say that Vanya caused injuries to himself.

OUTCOME: On February 26, 2010 Michael and Nanette Craver were arrested and charged with criminal homicide, conspiracy, and child endangerment. The prosecutor considered seeking indictments with death penalty specifications, claiming that Vanya's death constitution torture, but later took that option off the table. The couple were held in the York County Prison without bond until their trial in September 2011. Like the Dykstracase, despite a preponderance of evidence to the contrary, the Cravers were acquitted of first degree murder, but unlike Dykstra were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment, and conspiracy. In November they were sentenced to five years in prison with time served. They are currently on parole and attempting to regain custody of Vanya's twin sister, Dasha. After the sentencing hearing, the Russian Investigative Committee, outraged at the outcome of the trial announced it would seek to extradite the Cravers and try them on murder charges in Moscow. A Russian court ruled against the CI, but it is still investigating the case. On December 2, the Cravers filed separate appeals of their sentences and demanded new trials. If they win their appeals, which is doubtful, they can only be retried on the involuntary manslaughter charge, and if found guilty again, be sent to prison for up to10 years.

UPDATED DECEMBER 7, 2011

Vanya Skorbogatov. Cravers ask for new trial; want custody of Dasha

2011-12-06T00:18:00.000-05:00

The Russian Investigative Committee (IC) isn't the only one demanding that the Cravers get a new trial.

Last week Michael and Nanette Craver, convicted last month of involuntary manslaughter in the death of their adopted Russian son Vanya Skorobogatov filed separate post-sentencing appeals with Judge John S. Kennedy, the presiding judge of their trial. They argue that the verdicts were "against the weight of the evidence." The appeals are not online, but according to the York Dispatch, Cravers ask judge to overturn their convictions and grant them new trials,:the couple argues:

prosecutors presented no evidence to show either parent physically abused Nathaniel, other than testimony from a forensic pathologist who said he believed the injuries were intentionally inflicted....

...The forensic pathologist testifying for the defense told jurors there was no evidence the injuries were intentionally inflicted, and a number of medical experts testified to Nathaniel's "numerous and serious medical and mental-health conditions," including self-injury, according to Michael Craver's motion

The jury didn't buy that argument and found the couple guilty of involuntary manslaughter, child endangerment and conspiracy. The couple was originally charged with first degree murder, with an option of death penalty specifications..

If the Cravers' appeal is granted, they can be re-tried only on the charges of which they were convicted, . BUT if they lose again, they could be sentenced to up to 10 years in prison, rather than their current cushy time-served awaiting trial.

The Cravers obviously don't' know when to quit, especially since their case is edging into international incident territory due to the IC's attempt to extradite them to Moscow for a taste of Russian justice--and to take custody of Vanya's twin sister Dasha Skorobogatova in the process. Dasha, still a Russian citizen, as was Vanya, is currently, in the care of an adoptive aunt..

My educated guess is that Judge Kennedy will not grant the appeal motions since he, agreed with the verdict:
.
"It was an appropriate and just verdict," he said. "The physical evidence ... did not establish there was intentional infliction of injuries on Nathaniel. ... Certainly there was reasonable doubt presented."

If Kennedy doesn't grant the motions, the next step will be to take the case to the Pennsylvania Superior Court for consideration.

The Cravers legal team says the couple maintains their innocence and want to prove it, but also need an acquittal to re-gain custody of Dasha, whom they haven't seen since their arrest in February. 2010. Rick Robinson, one of Nanette Craver's lawyers. who said last month that the sentence was fair and reasonable, now backpedaling. He says he clients are concerned that their convictions:

establish the ability for Children and Youth (caseworkers) to attempt to terminate their parental rights for (the girl)," "They want to have contact with their daughter."

To add to the Craver's woes, they are currently unemployed and unemployable due to their conviction. They are now living with friends, which might mean they lost their home.

In so many words, the Cravers still insist that Vanya killed himself.

Let's stop right now!

I'm not going to go through all the trial testimony, most of it damming for the Cravers, but let's just take the autopsy alone. This is how pathologist Wayne K Ross, who performed the post-mortem on Vanya, described his condition durung the Craver's preliminary hearing, as reported in the April 29, 2010 York Daily Record.

WARNING: Graphic language ahead

Ross said the injuries to Nathaniel's swollen head were caused by repetitive blunt force trauma. He made the same observation as to the numerous bruises on the boy's arms, legs, chest, abdomen and torso.

The only part of the boy's body the pathologist did not take note of was the bottom of his feet.

Pictures taken at Hershey Medical Center by Carroll Township Police Sgt. John Schreiner reportedly showed an emaciated boy with gauze covering his head where surgeons had removed a piece of his skull to relieve the pressure on his swollen brain.

The exhibits - 18 hospital and autopsy photos and a cat scan - were passed by Barker to the defense attorneys and the district justice. They were not visible to onlookers in the courtroom.

Ross said the boy "looked like he was starved to death" and had "less than a millimeter" of body fat at the time of his death.

The pathologist said the boy's face and head were distorted by swelling and looked "like a balloon."

Nathaniel also had a "classic cauliflower ear" normally seen on a wrestler, he said...

...Ross's other findings included anemia, brain scarring, indications that the boy's shoulders and hips had been dislocated and that he had been bound at the wrists and ankles. He said the time of the injuries ranged from the 24 hours before being taken to the hospital to up to two months earlier.

under cross,

Nanette Craver's attorney David Hershey asked Ross if Nathaniel being diagnosed with reattachment disorder, the lack of a nurturing environment in a Russian orphanage and whether the boy was self-destructive and taking anti-psychotic medications would affect his findings.

Ross suggested deferring the psychological questions to an expert in that field. He then explained that anyone seeing Nathaniel over a period of time would have noticed the drastic change in his appearance and health.

Ross said the final injury to Nathaniel's head that necessitated taking him to the hospital required "hundreds of pounds of force."

He added the bruising patterns on the boy's head, back and abdomen "were inconsistent with self-abuse."

Dr. Ross also testified at the trial.. From the Harrisburg Patriot-News/ Penn.Live.com Doctor describes Craver's injuries to York County jury:

After nearly two hours on the witness stand, Dr. Wayne K. Ross circled his main point.

The Dauphin County forensic pathologist had performed the autopsy on Nathaniel Craver in 2009. He had spent Wednesday morning detailing the injuries he found on the 7-year-old’s body.

Nathaniel’s head: “I don’t just mean a little bit of swelling. I mean the entire skull and head looked to me like a watermelon or an alien.”

Nathaniel’s brain: “The bottom line is, it was soft as anything. When you look at the pictures of the brain we took at autopsy, it was purple and dead ... it was flat and mushy. It was horrible.”

He found evidence that muscles had torn near Nathaniel’s shoulder and hip joints from being pulled. He found marks indicating the boy had been bound at his feet and wrists.

He found bruising on Nathaniel’s torso and back showing the boy had been struck with a “tool type” device over a period of weeks. He found an untreated broken rib. He found “lakes of blood” under Nathaniel’s skull. To get there, Nathaniel’s head must have been struck repeatedly.

In the weeks before his death, Ross testified, Nathaniel was starving....

...Was it possible, Barker asked, for Nathaniel to have done this to himself?

It went to the heart of the defense case. Michael and Nanette Craver have maintained their adopted Russian son constantly abused himself. It was a manifestation of deep physical and psychological issues stemming from a harsh early life in Russia, conditions the Cravers have said they could not stop.

Ross did not hesitate.

“The abuse I see is due to the direct action of another,” Ross said, “not self-abuse.”

Other medical, police, and family backed up Ross on various points..

I really don't see how this evidence can be refuted, despite the defense's expert witness who claimed it was impossible to tell how Vanya was injured. Pathologists do make mistakes, but Vanya's injuries are so massive and extended they cannot be dismissed as self-inflicted. Especially by a 7-year old.

Clearly the jury, though flawed with its involuntary manslaughter verdict, believed that the Cravers were responsible for Vanya/s death through abuse or negligence.. A re-trial won't change that. Whatever happened Michael and Nanette Craver were lousy parents who either caused Vanya's death directly or indirectly. I believe directly.

I haven't yet, found an IC reaction to the Craver's demand for a new trial. The appeals have been reported by the Russian press so we know the IC and Russian Children's Rights Commission director Pavel Askakov know--just in case the US State Deparmtnet didn't know about it.

This is a wrap-up video of the sentencing.

Ivan Skorobogatov: Investigative Committee Rejects Court Ruling; Intends to Continue Craver and Possibly Other Prosecutions

2011-11-30T00:50:00.001-05:00

The Russian Investigative Committee (IC), undetered by yesterday's decision by Moscow's Basmanny Court and the Russian General Prosecutor, to dismiss IC's petition to extradite Michael and Nanette Craver, has declared its intent to continue its prosecution of the couple even if the prosecution has been ruled "illegal.."(see blog directly below this for details)

According to RIA Novisti, Vladimir Markin, spokesperson for the IC said the investigation in to the Cravers will continue no matter what the court rules:

"The refusal of a Russian court to arrest the Cravers in absentia will not hinder further investigation of the criminal case in Russia, as well as the international efforts to find the suspects, detain and extradite them,”

He said that though international laws prohibit a second sentence for the same crime, it applies only to legal procedures in one state, within the national jurisdiction.

I have no idea what this second paragraph means. It appears to be a deliberate misreading of US and international law, and the Basammy and General Prosecutor's office's interpretation of both.. There is simply no way for the Cravers to be retried here. Unless there was unique jurisdaictional stipulation in the adoption agreement that gave Russian authorities some kind of authority in legal matters concerning Vanya and his twin sister Dasha, which is I highly doubt, they can't be tried by Russian courts in absentia or in person.

The IC is also taking up Dasha's status:

RIC chief Alexander Bastrykin sent letters to Russian presidential human rights council head Mikhail Fedotov and human rights ombudsman Vladimir Lukin to initiate proceedings to strip the Cravers of parental rights with respect to Ivan’s sister, Dasha.

It is important to ensure Dasha’s early return to Russia, Bastrykin wrote.

Again, it's unclear what the IC thinks it can accomplish, if indeed it wants to accomplish anything. (see last section). Here are some of the hard fact whether people like them or not:

Dasha came to the US in 2003 at the age of 18 months. She has no parents in Russia to return to, only an understaffed, ill-equipped and abusive orphan system.. By Russian standards she is damaged from her American experience and unadoptable . The adoption was finalized years ago and Dasha holds dual citizenship until she is 18.

Dasha is currently in foster care. (The New York Times says she's living with an adoptive aunt). York County prosecutors asked the judge in the Craver trial to order the couple to have no contact with Dasha until she is 18, but the judge said he would leave the decision up to child welfare officials. Earlier reports suggest that Children's Services has no enthusiasm for returning her to the Cravers custody, though there is no indication at this time it will seek to terminate their rights, either. The only contact Dasha has had with the Cravers since their arrest in February 2010 has been through supervised correspondence
..
.If rights were terminated here--which I think they should be--Dasha would probably remain with the aunt in a foster or adoptive situation or be re-homed in a second stranger adoption. If she is returned (she won't be), she'll most likely in a few years end up in the sex trade or sweatshop where huge numbers of orphanage girls end up.

******

Without getting too Russian...

Clearly something else is going on here. I'll suggest that Vanya, Dasha, the Cravers and we are being bumbled through the fetid labyrinth that passes for Russian politics.

The Investigation Committee is the main federal investigating authority inthe Russian Federation. It was formed in January 2011 an an "independent" body to replace the Investigation Committee of the Prosecutor of the Russian Federation which like its predecessors,the KGB and NKVD, investigated and prosecuted cases in whatever way it pleased. In theory, then, the IC was set up to streamline criminal justice by separating investigation from prosecution and to dilute the immense authority the Prosecutor General's office had accumulated. It has been compared to the FBI, but it's not.

I 'd like a better source, but for now I'll let Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty pick it up from there to show you the mess::

The prosecutor-general, meanwhile, has been stripped of his authority to direct investigations, seize property, and initiate criminal cases. [Prosecutor General Yuriy} Chaika, for example, cannot launch criminal proceedings against Bastrykin -- although Bastrykin can launch proceedings against him.

Vladimir Pribylovsky, head of the Moscow-based Panorama think tank told RFE.RL:

"Formally this organization (IC) is part of the Prosecutor-General's Office, but in fact, if you look at the amount of power he has, [IC Director Aleksandr Ivanovich] Bastrykin, is in fact another prosecutor-general," Pribylovsky said. "And his role can get even stronger. If [the Investigative Committee] takes over all the other investigative agencies and creates a truly unified Investigative Committee, then it will have enormous power," Pribylovsky added.

I've been puzzled by the interest the IC has taken in the Craver case, and this layout of the IC clears up some of my puzzlement.. Not that the case isn't worthy of scrutiny, but by US and international law standards the attempt to haul the Cravers off to Moscow (or just try them in absentia) is headline inducing, but pointless unless the IC plans to make an international incident and kidnap the couple. The likelihood, of that happening, of course, is nil, since the IC falls under the direct authority of the President of Russia, which in a few more months will again be (as if he isn't now in all but name) Vladimir Putin.who just happens to be IC Director Bastrykin old law school classmate.

I think two things (and probably more) are going on here.

(1) The IC is acting in response to pressure from State Duma members, nationalists, and probably some IC bigwigs, who desperately want to ban cross-country adoption--or at least adoption to the US. The Ministry of Education and Pavel Astakhov have made it clear, however, that they do not want US adoption shut down--just tightened to Russia's advantage. Squeezing every drop they can out of the Cravers can't hurt. They deserve it.

(2) The Craver prosecution is just another cog in the power struggle between the IC and the Prosecutor General.'s office. Although in theory the IC and the Prosecutor General work side-by-side, they are at opposite ends in the Craver case (and mostly likely a lot of other cases) with the Prosecutor telling the IC to take a hike and the IC standing its ground.. I don't see this changing the near future. Too much power is a stake.

As if to make my point, the IC announced today that it plans to investigate more cases of Russian adoptee abuse in the United States:

The Russian Investigation Committee (IC) is going to institute criminal proceedings on several more facts of the encroachment on the life of Russian children, adopted by American nationals,

Specificaly cited was Michael Grismor, accused of raping his 15-year old stepdaughter Kseneia., a case I haven't written about, but need to. And I have to wonder why there is not a peep about the Dykstra verdict. Sure that is a heinous as the Craver walk-away.

Vanya, Dasha, Ksenia, and other Russian orphans killed and abused by their Forever Families are a sympathetic front for inside- the- ring-power players.. That doesn't mean that those involved are cold-hearted creeps, though they might be, only that these kids are a cat's paw for something bigger.

Ivan Skorobogatov. Russian Court and Prosecutors Refuse to Issue Warrant for Michael and Nanette Craver; Vanya Victim of "RAD" Quackery?

2011-11-28T22:02:00.001-05:00

Russian media reports tonight that the Moscow Bassamy District Court, backed by the Russian Prosecutor General's Office. has refused to issue a warrant for the in abstensia arrest and trial of Michael and Nannette Craver in the death of their Forever Son, Vanya Skorobogatov. (Nathaniel Craver) Citing double jeopardy, the court said any prosecution of the Cravers by Russian authorities would be "illegal;."

The Cravers, originally charged with homicide (with aborted death penalty specifications), conspiracy and child endangerment, were found guilty of involuntary manslaughter in September, and in mid-November were sentenced to time served and 3/1 years probation.. An autopy revealed 80 injuries to the boy including 20 to his head.

The Russian Investigative Committee placed the couple on INTERPOL's wanted list (they have never appeared on the online INTERPOL list) and called for their arrest and trial in absentia.

From ITAR-TASS:

The prosecutor explained that the U.S. citizens had already been convicted on this case in their native country, "which means that they cannot be prosecuted for the same crime in Russia". Therefore, the prosecutor’s representative (Vanya said that he objects to the arrest of the U.S. citizens in absentia. In connection with the verdict earlier passed to the Craver couple in Pennsylvania and in accordance with Article 12 of the Russian Criminal Code the couple are not subject to prosecution on the territory of the Russian Federation, and their arrest in the status of defendants is illegal, the source said.

The investigation’s appeal to arrest the Cravers contains neither necessary data about their personality nor confirms that they are in hiding, the prosecutor said. "There are no grounds to put them into custody as a remand sanction," he stressed.

There is nothing yet in the online version of the Craver's hometown newspaper, the York Daily Record.

This decision comes as no surprise. As I wrote earlier, I didn't see how double jeopardy and the fact that the death occurred on US soil would be prosecutable in Russia. So, as much as we'd like to see justice for Vanya, legally the case is now closed.

******

In a related matter, one of my readers, sent a comment to Nikto regarding Vanya and "attachment therapy." As longtime readers may know, some (and I suspect all or nearly all) Russian adoptees killed by their Forever Families were either "officially" diagnosed with "RAD" or adopter-diagnosed and treated on the fly.. I wrote about this in The Therapeutic Murders of Candace Newmaker, David Polreis, Viktor Matthey, and Jessica Albina Hagmann.

Below is the comment I received regarding Vanya.. I haven't had the time to look into this more yet, but will. In the meantime:.

LindaRosaRN has left a new comment on your post "Ivan Skorobogatov Update: Cravers Aren't Talking; ...":

Thank you for writing about this case.

I might add that Nathaniel was caught up in the infamous Attachment Therapy. As long time readers know, many of the Russian adoptees killed by their Forever Families, were eithre diagnosted officialy with "RAD" or adopteres took it upon themselves to self-diagnose an self-treat. I wrote about this in

Attachment Therapist Lark Eshleman (certified school psychologist) was recommended to the Cravers by a prestigious Philadelpia hospital. In her book, Eshleman uses Attachment Therapy's unofficial, catch-all definition of "Reactive Attachment Therapy," which demonizes adoptees. At the Craver's trial, Eshleman claimed the boy not only had "RAD," but was self-injuring because of it.

According to Eshleman, "RAD" children are "aggressive," "destructive," prey on others, are oppositional liars, etc. However, RAD, as defined in the DSM-IV, has no aggressive or violent features associated with it -- and no self-injuring behaviors. RAD children may possibly tend to be risk-takers but that it not the same thing.

http://www.childrenintherapy.org/attachmentdisorder.html

So if Nathaniel was self-injurious, which appears unlikely considering the autopsy results, he was either misdiagnosed and not treated appropriately, or he was, as so many adopted children have been, diagnosed with the bogus "RAD" disorder simply because he walked into the office of an Attachment Therapist.

There was another bizarre claim made by a so-called adoption specialist in connection with this case that the press swallowed whole. This nonsense claim is discussed here:

http://childmyths.blogspot.com/2010/10/chewing-off-hand-demonizing-nathaniel.html

Advocates for Children in Therapy has found links to numerous adopted child abuse and death cases to Attachment Therapy and its parenting methods. Here are cases they know about:

http://www.childrenintherapy.org/victims/victims.html

It is not unusual to find government agencies and government-funded agencies recommending Attachment Therapy/Parenting. Since a case could reasonably be made that this unvalidated practice is actual torture, public funding of the practice in the USA should be considered a violation of the UN Convention Against Torture.

Ivan Skorobogatov Update: Cravers Aren't Talking; But Lawyer Is

2011-11-23T17:14:00.001-05:00

The Cravers aren't talking about Russia's attempt to extradite them for the murder of their Forever Son, Vanya Skorobogatov, but one of their lawyers is.

The York Dispatch reports:

I don't think (Russia) can have any jurisdiction over them," said Suzanne Smith, who represented Michael Craver. "I don't think any court in the United States would honor (such) an extradition warrant."

U.S. citizens are protected from double jeopardy laws, and the Cravers were already legally tried here, Smith said. Also, the Russians don't have jurisdiction in the case, despite the fact they appear to be arguing Nathaniel was a Russian citizen, she said.

"(Russian officials) are just saying, 'We're not happy with the result. We want to do it our way,'" Smith said. "Well, you don't get to do that. I don't know anyone who would recognize Russians' authority in this particular case. They don't really have any."

District Attorney Tom Kearney, agrees, saying that any attempt to retry the Cravers would run into double jeopardy issues

The question of whether one was properly tried ... is in the eyes of the beholder," he said. "We certainly believe they were. We devoted substantial resources into the prosecution, and the jury made the call. ... And the judge seemed to think it was the right call."

I found it strange that no one commented that the crime happened on US soil, and the citizenship of the victim (which could be a matter of debate anyway) doesn't play in to it--giving the Russian government no jurisdiction to prosecute. American justice, in my opinion, failed dismally in this case, but there's nothing to be done about that now outside of working to keep Dasha away from the Cravers, socially shunning the couple, and perhaps some kind of civil action..

The Cravers are still not on the INTERPOL online database. If they do appear, I suspect it won't be until next week's show trial starts up in Moscow. I've got some questions about how that will operate myself and am still digging around.

*****

Someone on FB has created a Justice for Nathaniel Craver (Ivan Skorobogatov) page. Three are some pictures of him and Dasha I'd not seen before.

Ivan Skorobogatov Update: Russians Say Cravers Placed on INTERPOL Wanted List; Couple Will Be Tried In Absentia Next Week

2011-11-23T10:06:00.000-05:00

Russian media reports that the Russian government is ready to charge US citizens Michael and Nanette Craver with murder in the death of their adopted son, Ivan Skorobogatov, (Nathaniel Craver) 7. Two months ago, the couple, originally charged with homicide (with aborted death penalty specifications), conspiracy and child endangerment, was found guilty by a jury in York County, Pennsylvania, of involuntary murder Last Friday, they were sentenced to 19 months time- served while awaiting trial, and placed on five years probation. An autopsy revealed Vanya had80 external injuries, including 20 to his head and suffered from malnutrition. He died after being taken off life support. Incredibly, a jury bought the Cravers' defense that Vanya died of repeated self-inflicted injuries and mutilations.due to FAS, See, the Forever Couple simply neglected to care for him correctly!

According to an ITAR-TASS story filed on November 21 the Cravers have been (or will be) placed on the INTERPOL Wanted List. As of this writing they are not on the INTERPOL online database, but I'll keep checking.

The Russian Investigative Committee charged in absentia the Craver spouses with murder accusations of Vanya Skorobogatov in the US and puts them on the international wanted list through the Interpol.

“Today the main investigation department of the Russian Investigative Committee accused the spouses Michael John and Nannette Louise Cravers under Article 105 Part 2 points v and zh for murder of an underage child, which was in the hopeless position, by a criminal group,” spokesman for the Investigative Committee Vladimir Markin said. “The detectives found that the spouses, which adopted a Russian citizen Vanya Skorobogatov, killed him.”

Vanya before he got his Forever Famil

“The relevant documents were submitted in the Interpol National Central Bureau under the Russian Interior Ministry, on the basis of which the accused were put on the international wanted list in all Interpol member-countries seeking to
find the place, where they are staying, detain and extradite them for the investigation in Russia,” he said.

“The investigation continues,” Markin said.

Even more interesting, the Cravers are scheduled to be tried in the Basmanny District Court of Moscow the afternoon of November 28. for Vayna's murder in absentia

******

Neither the INTERPOL request or the trial in abstenia comes as a surprise As soon as the Craver verdict came down, Russian officials threatened to "take action." The day before the Investigation Commission filed charges against the Cravers, Russian Foreign Minister Alexander Lukashevish blasted the verdict and the US justice system:

“The Cravers who tortured to death the
seven-year-old boy were released after having spent only 18 months under arrest. The court sentence is amazingly and flagrantly
irresponsible,” he said.

“The attorney insisted on the capital punishment. He said that Vanya’s death was the fault of his adoptive parents. They brutalized the child, brought him to exhaustion and inflicted a heavy head injury on him that proved to be fatal,” Lukashevish said.

“Much more severe sentences are passed on Russian citizens who stand trial in the U.S. on the suspicion of criminal intents. This fact does not create assuredness that U.S. court hearings of other humanitarian cases will be unbiased. That does not help the development of the bilateral human rights dialog,” he said.

“Hopefully, the entry into force of the bilateral agreement on cooperation in inter-country adoptions, which is ready for ratification, will drastically change the position of Russian children adopted by U.S. families and make such outrageous situations impossible,” Lukashevich said.

(The Russian Foreign Ministry website, (from which this quote it taken, isn't downloading, in either its English or Russian version) so I'm using the English-language ITAR-TASS version.)

Duma members were also outraged. Foreign Affairs Committee chair Konstantin Kosachev said the verdict was politically biased..

******

Prvada, in a follow-up report to the November 21, ITAR-TASS release says that Russia's Ombudsman for Children's Rights, Pavel Astakhov, has discussed (at what length goes unreported) the case with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and US Attorney General Eric Holder. Astakhov reportedly tweeted, ( I can't find Astakhov's Twitter account to verify) "I believe Clinton must take Ivan's case under special control and attain justice."

Pravda also reports that Astakhov told Holder that "prosecutors must appeal the sentence."

Of course, that won't happen, and Astakhov. who holds a doctorate in law from Pitt, knows it. He is very good at what he does and never says or does anything without a good reason, He knows there is no way the Russians or INTERPOL can execute a warrant on the Cravers since the murder--and it was murder--occurred on US soil. .The show trial next week in Moscow--we know how it will turn out-- is the only trick the Russians have to show any kind of justice, real or otherwise, for Vanya. It also makes a point to the US that murder has consequences, even if they may turn out empty.--but not as empty as the farce in York.Ultimately, as all adoption politics, it's just kubuki. This play is just on the grander scale of the international stage. The good part, though, in my opinion, is that this play, while dirtying America's adoption's nose in its own shit, will also make it impossible for the Cravers to ever adopt again (if they would dare try) and gives Vanya's twin sister Dasha, now in care, a good shot at staying out of the Cravers' clutches. Forever.

Go to the righthand sidebar here for more on Vanya.

Artyom Savelyev Update: Trial Open to the Public; Artyom Added as Plaintiff!

2011-11-22T10:20:00.000-05:00

Monday, Bedford County, Tennessee Common Pleas Court Judge Franklin Lee Russell ruled against child abandoner Torry Hansen's request that the public be barred from court in upcoming child support hearings No date has been set.

Hansen made international headlines last year when she put her adopted son Artyom Savelyev, 7 (now 9) on a plane by himself with orders to return him to the Russian Ministry of Education, the ministry that oversees adoptions from Russia. The little boy wasn't a good fit for her and her overbearing mother.

The World Association of Children and Parents ((WACAP) the agency that placed Atryom with Hansen has brought suit for child support arguing that putting the boy on a plane to Moscow is not a "legitimate way to annul an adoption." Hansen, the agency contends, is still the legal parent, and liable for child support payments to WACAP. Russian courts have also reportedly requested child support from Hansen. According to Monday's news, WACAP is asking for a standard 27% of her salary as a nurse, plus back payments.

Hansen's (third) attorney, Sandra Smith, had asked the court to exclude the media from hearings because of the Artyom's juvenile status. According to Monday's Tennessean Smith argued:

There will be discussion of the boy himself (during the trial). Quite a bit,” Smith said, noting that issues such as psychiatric records and other confidential information will come up in court.

Since that kind of information on juveniles is barred from public access under Tennessee privacy laws, it's highly unlikely the public would be given a full-blown report of Artyom's "condition." As a layperson I fail to understand how Atyom's mental condition should affect child support in Hansen's extra-legal adoption annulment scam.

According to the Shelbyville Daily New Journal, Russell's ruling permits media access, but will still bar confidential documents, presumably regarding Artom's psychiatric and medical records. from public access. That is, some documents will remain sealed.

Circuit Judge Lee Russell today ruled in favor of the media request presented by attorney Robb Harvey but said some records about the boy’s family and adoption history would remain sealed. The judge said privacy laws related to such disputes are intended to protect the child involved and do not govern records related to contract disputes between adults. After attorneys agree and he reviews those records they will be released, likely in several weeks, the judge said.

Harvey and attorneys in the suit agreed to work together on deciding which records will be released.

Torry Hansen refused to cooperate with the criminal investigation that followed Arytom's return to Moscow, and has since refused to cooperate with negotiations in the civil litigation which have dragged out for about a year and a half.. From the Tennesseean:

After the hearing, [Larry] Crain (WAPCO attorney) said he has tried three times to get Hansen and her mother to sit down for a deposition to tell their side of the story. Two times, he said, she skipped the appointment and the third time she did not respond to a request to schedule a date.

Incredibly Hansen, through Smith, complains that she gotten a bad deal with the media :

Asked whether her client — who has moved to California and refused all requests for interviews — got a fair hearing in the media, Smith said: “No, I don’t think she did, and why will come out later.

Perhaps this note Hansen wrote to the Russian Ministry has something to do with it:

Judge Russell also ruled that Artyom and the Russian facility in which he now lives can be added as plaintiffs..

Congratulations to the organizations who fought to keep this case open to the public: The Tennessean, the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, The Associated Press, the Tennessee Press Association, The Tennessee Coalition for Open Government, WKRN News 2, WSMV Channel 4 and the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Society of Professional Journalists.

For more information on Artyom's case, please go to the righhand sidebar on Nikto and click appropriate links.

Ivan Skorobogatov/Nathniel Craver Update: Killers Walk

2011-11-20T19:57:00.001-05:00

Once again, the dust and bone of a dead Russian adoptee has been swept under the rug. After spending 19 months in jail awaiting trial (and after trial on the street waiting sentencing) for the murder of Ivan Skorobogatov, 7, his forever parents Michael J and Nanette L Craver are walking.

Vanya and his twin sister Dasha (now known as Elizabeth) were adopted in 2003 from an orphanage in Troitsk, Chelyabinsk region, through Lutheran Social Services of the South. The agency is no longer accredited in Russia.

Vanya, lasting longer (as far as we know) than the other dead Russian adoptee, died on August 25, 2009 of what York County, Pennsylvania authorities describe as severe beating and malnourishment. The autopsy revealed Vanya suffered 80 external injuries, including 20 to his head. After a six month investigation, the Cravers were charged with homicide, conspiracy and child endangerment. In May 2010, York County Senior deputy prosecutor Jennifer Russell, citing Vanya's age and the state's contention that his death constituted torture, said she would seek the death penalty.

But the best laid plans...

Instead, in September this year, when the Cravers got their day, a jury of their so-called peers bought the couple's claim that Vanya suffered from Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FAS) and injured and abused himself repeatedly. More specifically, the night before his death, the boy "run headlong into a stove." Not to put a too sensational spin on this, but Vanya committed suicide.just like David Polreis beat himself to death with a wooden spoon.

I need to go through trial news reports, but from a quick scan, it appears twin Dasha did not suffer FAS and suffered no injuries or abuse.Curious.

After the verdict came down, the Cravers were sent home to to wait for their sentencing hearing held Friday.

The Cravers were sentenced to time served

After sentencing, Chief Deputy Prosecuto Tim Barker told the press:

We're talking here about a 7 year old killed by others. Whatever degree of homicide, it was still homicide...“Never once was there an ounce of emotion by the defense toward Nathaniel Craver, or even a remote understanding of what they did to their adopted son.

The Cravers are currently on probation. Dasha is in care, and visitation plans are under negotiation.. Incredible!

The Russian media and government have watched the case closely, and the Russian Foreign Ministry is investigating what kind of action it can take. . The New York Times reported today:

The Cravers, who tortured the 7-year-old child to death, were released after staying a mere year and a half under arrest,” Alexander Lukashevich, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Saturday in a statement, according to the Interfax news service. “The court verdict is amazingly and flagrantly irresponsible."

Russian officials said they were conducting their own investigation and might seek an arrest warrant for the couple.

I suspect that the chance of an international arrest over the case is nil; nonetheless I'd like to see a go at it.

There's a lot to this case; some of which I've written about previously.. I have to go through several trial articles, so I'm not writing a lot about the case today. I plan to continue this blog in a day or so. In the meantime for more information, go to the righthand sidebar under "Ivan Skorobogatov." and Summary of All Cases. (on Nikto)

Signing off for now.,
Disgusted and Sickened.

Nikto ne zabyt - Nichto ne zabyto

Brian Dykstra Acquitted in Death of Adopted Son Ilya KargyntsevI/saac Dyskra

2011-11-04T13:00:00.000-04:00

Thursday, after only a few hours of deliberation a jury in Iowa City (IA) acquitted Brian Dykstra of all charges in the death of his Russian adopted son Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Jonathan Dykstra. The 21-month old was admitted to the hospital on August 2005, with severe head trauma and died the next day after being taken off of life support. His injuries were reported consistent with shaken baby syndrome. Dykstra claimed that three days earlier the boy had fallen down steps head first on to a concrete floor, but had not required hospital treatment.. Doctors and police believed that while Isaac did fall a few days earlier, the injuries that caused his death happened in a separate incident the day before he died. After a prolonged police investigation, in August 2008, Dykstra was charged with 2nd degree murder. His former wife, Lisa DeWaard,. (divorce final August 1, 2011), now an assistant professor of Spanish at Stetson University, wasn't home at the time and wasn't charged. Brian Dykstra, if found guilty, could have been sentenced to as much as 50 yeas in prison.

The trial opened last week with strong testimony from prosecution EMTs, hospital personnel and police witnesses who said that Ilya suffered severe head trauma, including a fractured skull, brain swelling and bruising that could not have occurred from a tumble down two steps.ad Dykstra claimed.

The defense argued that Dyskra was an "eager, loving father" who would never have harmed the toddler. Based on news reports, which is my only available reference, it appears the Dykstra's defense was based on matters of "good character."

The media run-up to the trial indicated that 39 witnesses--including 11 doctors would be called. News reports, however, focused on prosecution arguments and outside of coverage of Brian Dyskra and Lisa DeWaard's testimony generally either gave short shrift to defense witnesses--or there weren't many.

Below are excerpts from news reports of the trial. I have put them in order of subject matter. I've tried to give a wide range of coverage and take full responsibility if I missed anything.

OPENING ARGUMENTS
Iowa City Gazette, October 24, 2011:
Attorneys address events leading up to boy's death
{Referring to the fall down the stairs} Over the next few days, he said, Isaac showed other “subtle but important changes,” including a “squishy” spot on top of his head. When Isaac began crying and holding his head on Aug. 13, Dykstra panicked when he called 911 and then hung up, according to Spies.

But prosecutors said that when paramedics responded, they found a pale child with bluish lips, fixed pupils, bruising near his ear and a soft spot on top of his head.

Assistant County Attorney Beth Beglin told jurors Monday that Dykstra explained to a first responder only that the boy had fallen a few days ago and bumped his head. Responders asked what happened that morning but “never got an answer as to what occurred,” Beglin said.

The boy was rushed to University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, and doctors found he had severe head injuries, including a skull fracture, brain swelling and bruising.

They said the injuries were not consistent with a days-old fall down two steps, Beglin told jurors. She said several doctors will testify that Isaac’s injuries were consistent with being shaken or slammed on the same day that he was hospitalized.

“This devastating brain injury was not accidental — it was a malicious act,” Beglin said. “And the only person who could have and did inflict that injury was the defendant, Brian Dykstra.”

Brian Dykstra at time of arrest

MEDICAL AND POLICE TESTIMONY - PROSECUTION
Iowa City Gazette, October 25, 2011
Man "detached" as son died: Witness
“Brian was sitting in a chair, and he looked at me, and locked eyes, and said, ‘Jen, tell me how something like this can happen?’” Jennifer Evans told jurors Tuesday during Dykstra’s second-degree murder trial in connection with the death of his son, Isaac, on Aug. 14, 2005.

...At the crime scene, officers testified, Dykstra appeared to be nervous when they found his son lying in the living room with severe injuries.

“But he was not in distress,” said Tom Lacina, who has been with the Iowa City Fire Department for 23 years.

Firefighter Paul Suedkamp said he also found Dykstra to be emotionless, but not in shock. And he didn’t try to approach his son.

Evans, a former registered nurse for University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, testified that she told Dykstra that only blunt force trauma — like being in a car accident — could cause injuries of that magnitude.

“He didn’t respond to that,” Evans said...

...Evans said the boy’s mother, Lisa Dykstra, was “fully grieving.”

“She was dry heaving — almost catatonic,” she said. “She was vomiting and crying.”

Brian, on the other hand, “said very little,” according to Evans.

“For the most part, he appeared very detached,” she said.

Other nurses, doctors and law enforcement officers also told jurors that Dykstra seemed withdrawn as his son was dying. But the witnesses also conceded that parents grieve differently.

“It’s not fair to say that what Brian Dykstra exhibited that day was out of the ordinary,” said UI Hospitals nurse Stephanie Jacobson...

...“I would describe him as unconcerned,” he said. “He was farther away than I would expect a person to be from their child at an emergency scene.”

The Daily Iowan, October 25, 2011
Medical officials: "non-accidental trauma"cause of death in Dykstra murder trial

Dr. Michael D'Alessandro

Several medical officials testified Thursday in the Brian Dykstra second-degree murder trial that the death of his 20-month-old adopted child was due to "non-accidental trauma."...Catscan photos were shown and explained to the jury by UI radiology Professor Michael D'Alessandro. D'Alessandro was one doctor who said he believed non-accidental trauma was the cause of the injuries, adding it would take "massive force" to cause the injuries to the child's brain he observed.

Iowa City Gazette, October 26, 2011
Nurse says she was concerned by father's statements
The next testimony gets interesting. According to Joyce Osborn, a now retired nurse who in August 2005 was staffing Mercy on Call, a free medical hotline, testified that Brian Dykstra called after Isaac's fall down the stairs. While the baby's injuries did not seem critical and would normally be treated at home, Osborn said she decided to override the routine recommendation when Dykstra showed concern that Isaac would have a visible bruise since the family was expecting a visit from their adoption social worker in a few days:

He seemed concerned that his son would have a (visible) bruise because a social worker was coming in a few days,” Osborn said, adding that she “thought that the call may have needed a doctor’s input.”

An on-call doctor was signaled to call Dykstra about the incident.

The next day, according to testimony, registered nurse Sue Kuntz conducted a follow-up call with the family. After talking with Lisa Dykstra, Kuntz testified, she did not feel there was a reason to be concerned about Isaac’s well-being.

Former adoption specialist Hilary Condon, who helped the Dykstras adopt the boy from Russia, also testified that she found no reason to be concerned for his safety when she visited the family at their home Aug. 12.

Daily Iowan, November 2, 2011
Dykstra has trouble recalling the day of his son's hospitalization
After the defense rested, the state had a rebuttal, which included a testimony from Wayne State University pediatric radiologist Wilbur Smith, who said he specializes in abusive head injuries in children.

Smith, who said he has investigated for the FBI and U.S. Army, said the injuries he observed in the child occurred "somewhere within an hour of his collapsing."

"[The child] may have had a short fall, but the injuries that he suffered on the 13th were from a different trauma — a whole unique different set of trauma," Smith said.

Spies focused his cross-examination on discrepancies between Smith's findings and what other investigative officials found in regard to the injuries to the brain.

He asked Smith why he could not tell him the size of an injury inside the child's brain called a "subdural hematoma" and whether the other doctors' findings were inaccurate.

"I don't know how they could have been," Smith said. "I don't think anybody can tell you how large it was."

Spies then objected to a slide show intended to be shown by state witness Nasreen Syed, a UI clinical associate professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences.

Sixth District Judge Patrick Grady believed the complete slide show would be inappropriate and instead allowed a only a few photographs to be shown.

The photographs showed the child's eyes, which, Syed said, indicated "retinal hemorrhages," and they were "most likely a result of inflicted injury."

Dr. Janice Ophoven

MEDICAL TESTIMONY - DEFENSE

Eastern Iowa News Now, October 31, 2011

UPDATE: Ex-wife testifies in defense of Iowa City murder suspect

But Janice Ophoven, a pediatric forensic pathologist out of Minnesota, said Dykstra’s explanation that his son fell down two stairs three days before he was rushed to the hospital on Aug. 13, 2005 is plausible.

“Even though (Isaac) could walk and eat and sleep, could he do that with all the medical problems he was having?” Dykstra’s defense attorney Leon Spies asked Ophoven.

“Yes,” she said, adding that it’s “not possible to say (Isaac) died of inflicted injuries.”

Assistant Johnson County District Attorney Anne Lahey questioned Ophoven’s credibility, asking if she exaggerated the number of child autopsies she performed and asking if she previously wrote in publications signs of child abuse.

“You wrote that adults responsible will say they have no idea how the injuries were sustained,” Lahey said. “You also wrote that an injury might be blamed on actions of a sibling or that he fell from an innocuous height like a bed or couch.”

AUTOPSY PHOTOS DENIED
The The Daily Iowan, October 27, 2011
Dykstra Trial: trial judge rules autopsy photos will not be shown

Photos from the autopsy of a child who died while under the care of a former Iowa City man will not be shown in court after a 6th District judge's ruling Wednesday.

Brian Dykstra, 35, who is charged with the second-degree murder of his adopted son, objected to having pictures of the child's autopsy shown in court. Defense attorney Leon Spies said a doctor testified at a previous hearing that "the autopsy photographs are not relevant to the determination of the injuries" and are "more prejudicial than appropriate."

Brian Dykstra and Leon Spies

BRIAN DYKSTRA TESTIMONY - DEFENSE

Eastern Iowa News Now, October 28, 2011
Brian Dykstra talks about events preceding his toddler son's death in Iowa City murder trial
On Aug. 13 – the day 21-month-old Isaac Dykstra was rushed to the hospital with severe head injuries – Brian Dykstra said his son awoke around the same time he always does but was yawning all morning

“You never think of these things until now,” Dykstra, now 35, told an Iowa City police investigator in a video taped interview taken on Aug. 13, 2005, and played this morning for the 14 jurors hearing his second-degree murder trial in Johnson County.

Dykstra told the detective that Isaac had fallen down two steps three days earlier and hit his head. He said the child suffered a bruise on his cheek and on his ear and a bump on his head that turned “mushy” over the next few days.

He said Isaac was a bit fussier after the fall, but he was mostly himself, according to the videotaped interview. On the morning of Aug. 13, Dykstra told the investigator that his son was just sitting in the hallway, feeling his head and watching TV.

“Normally he was all playing, and he was just sitting there,” Dykstra said. “He just wasn’t his normal self.”

Dykstra said later that day he was in the kitchen washing dishes when he heard Isaac cry, according to the videotaped interview. Dykstra said he found his son lying on the ground, crying “like he bumped his head again” and holding his head.

Dykstra said Isaac appeared to be struggling to breathe, and at one point he “did a little bit of CPR,” according to the interview. When Dykstra tried to look at his son’s bruise, according to the interview, Isaac pushed him away.

Because the child was laboring to breathe, Dykstra said he called 911 but hung up.

“He seemed to be coming out of it,” Dykstra said.

When a 911 operator called back, Dykstra said someone should probable come help.

“I thought, you know what, I don’t trust myself,” he said in the interview. “I want someone here.”
Isaac was pronounced brain dead on Aug. 14 after suffering a hematoma, hemorrhaging, retinal bleeding and brain swelling. Investigators immediately considered the death suspicious, but they didn’t arrest Dykstra until three years later in August 2008.

Cedar Rapids Gazette,November 1, 2011
UPDATE: Testimony ends in Iowa City murder trial: Closing arguments set for Wednesday
We fell in love with him,” Dykstra today told the 14 jurors who are hearing his second-degree murder trial in a Johnson County courtroom. “You couldn’t ask for a better fit for us.”...

...Dykstra this morning told the jurors how much he adored his son. When asked if he “beat up” his child, Dykstra said, “Absolutely not.”

Dykstra described for the jurors a fall on Aug. 10 that he said led to the injuries that took his son’s life a few days later. Authorities and doctors have testified that Isaac had to have suffered devastating and fatal injuries on Aug. 13 – the day his dad called 911 and Isaac was rushed to the hospital.

But Dykstra described a slow change in behavior and small signs over a few days that led to Isaac’s passing out in the family’s Iowa City living room on Aug. 13.

“Looking back, I really wish we would have taken him to the hospital” on Aug. 10 after his fall, Dykstra said.

“To the normal average person, he looked fine,” he said. “But, looking back, there was a lot more going on there than just a fall.”

Dykstra described a knot that his son got on his head after the Aug. 10 fall and said it turned soft over the next few days. He said Isaac was groggy, uninterested in walking and irritable.

But, upon cross-examination, Dykstra said he can remember few details about Aug. 13 –when he called 911 and hung up and told an operator who called back that his son was struggling to breathe.

Dykstra said he doesn’t remember refusing to answer responders’ questions about what happened that morning that led to his son’s passing out with severe head injuries. He said he doesn’t remember what he told doctors about administering CPR or being preoccupied with the dogs when paramedics were at his house.

Daily Iowan, November 2, 2011
Dykstra has trouble recalling the day of his son's hospitalization

"I went in there, and he was holding his head," Dykstra said. "I picked him up and was trying to comfort him, and that's when I remember the eyes rolling back and he just passed out."

Assistant County Attorney Beth Beglin asked whether he remembered what occurred when the first responders to his 911 call arrived at his house.

"I don't remember anything," Dykstra said. "I remember basically [my son] passed out in my arms and then being driven to the hospital in the back of a police car."

He focused the rest of his testimony on his relationship with his former wife Lisa DeWaard — who defended him Monday in her testimony — and the child they adopted from Russia.

Dykstra, a self-described "small-town country boy," said the time he and DeWaard had with their child was the happiest part of their relationship.

"It was like he was the glue to our relationship … everything we did, we did together," he said.

The victim's father described how they played with cars and balls, and he said they maintained their "connection" by looks and touch rather than speaking, because the child spoke Russian.

While describing himself, he mentioned he played a number of sports. When defense attorney Leon Spies asked whether he was any good, he smiled and said, "I could play," which caused some laughter his family.

"I always wanted to be the dad," he said. "To have a kid and be able to do those things and to be that type of a role model that my dad was for me."

Lisa Dewaard

LISA DEWAARD (DYKSTRA) TESTIMONY - DEFENSE
Easter Iowa News Now, October 31 201

UPDATE: Ex-wife testifies testifies in defense of IowaCity murder suspect

Lisa DeWaard, who told the 14 jurors today that her marriage ended with Dyktra on Aug. 1 of this year, talked in depth about their adoption process and said her husband was excited to adopt and immediately bonded with Isaac.

The couple met their child twice in the Russian orphanage where he lived before being adopted, and DeWaard testified that she had initial concerns about the fact that Isaac’s birth mother was HIV-positive, even though he had tested negative numerous times.

After the couple’s first meeting with the child, adoption officials wanted to know whether they were still interested, DeWaard said.

“I looked at Brian and said, ‘I’m a little nervous,’” she said. “He looked at me and said, ‘This is my son.’”
When the couple returned to the orphanage a second time to complete the adoption, DeWaard said her husband “kept hogging the baby.”

“It was fun to see Brian playing with him,” she testifying, explaining that he was teaching Isaac how to make car sounds and how to roll a ball. “They were probably the best days of my life

Eastern Iowa News Now, October 31, 2011

Mother said her husband and son "had a very close relationship"
After Isaac Dykstra fell down two stairs on Aug. 10, DeWaard said her son was sleepier. He also had a large bump on his head, he was fussier, and he didn’t play or try to walk as much as he usually did, DeWaard told the 14 jurors hearing her ex-husband’s case in Johnson County District Court.

“Looking back, I wish we would have taken him into Mercy immediately,” she said.

The couple, who lived in Iowa City at the time, didn’t take Isaac to the hospital after he fell Aug. 10. But they called the nurse, who told them that if he hadn’t vomited, he hadn’t suffered a head injury.
On Aug. 13, while DeWaard was away at a church function, Dykstra called 911 and hung up. When an operator called back, Dykstra asked that paramedics come because his son was struggling to breathe.

When medical personnel arrived, they found Isaac with severe head injuries, and rushed him to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, where he was treated for brain swelling, hemorrhaging and retinal bleeding....

...DeWaard initially told doctors and authorities that Isaac was his normal self in the days after the fall on Aug. 10. But, on the stand Monday, DeWaard said he developed bruising on his face, had more bowel movements than normal, wanted to be held more and seemed lethargic.

“I thought he was coming down with Brian’s cold,” she said.

Dykstra’s defense attorney Leon Spies showed jurors pictures of Isaac in the days that preceded his death. One showed him sitting on his father’s lap with visible bruises on his ears. DeWaard said Isaac often pinched his own ears, which she thought was the result of stress from the adoption.

Spies also showed a photo of Isaac eating breakfast on the day before he was rushed to the hospital – two days after the short fall. The photo, which showed visible bruising around Isaac’s eyes, caused DeWaard to choke up.

“That was the last picture taken of him,” she said. “And it was unusual because he’s not smiling, and he was always smiling.”

DeWaard and her mother testified that Dykstra was a loving and gentle father, who was proud and wanted to show off his son.

“(Isaac) loved Brian,” DeWaard testified. “Isaac would sit with him and watch TV. Isaac wanted to be in the dugout with daddy. … They had a very close relationship.”

On the day Isaac was rushed to the hospital, DeWaard said Dykstra called her crying.

“I went into the emergency room, and that’s when I saw Brian,” DeWaard said. “He was a mess. He had been crying. The second I saw him, he gave me this big hug and broke down crying.”

Doctors and authorities previously testified that Dykstra appeared unemotional when they arrived at the house and rushed the child to the hospital. They also testified that the injuries that took Isaac’s life had to have occurred on the day he was hospitalized.

CHARACTER TESTIMONY - DEFENSE
Iowa City Gazette, October 26, 2011
Nurse says she was concerned by father's statements
Close friend Luke Haverhals also took the stand, stating that Isaac was a “happy kid” who showed no obvious signs of serious injury when he saw him that Friday evening.

Haverhals said that when he went to the hospital the following day, Dykstra’s demeanor, described as being “un-distressed” by a first responder during Tuesday’s testimony, was one of shock and grief.

“Sometimes [Brian] was staring off and sometimes he was sobbing,” he said.

Eastern Iowa News Now, October 31, 2011
Mother said her husband and son "had a very close relationship"
Elizabeth Field, who said she knew the Dykstra’s through church, testified Monday that the atmosphere in the hospital when she arrived Aug. 13 was “disturbing.”

“The atmosphere was disturbing in the sense that they were accusing Brian of purposeful injury on this child,” she said. “It was troubling to see the staff’s demeanor

The Daily Iowan, November 4, 2011
Dyksata found not guilty in son's death

Spies said he felt the testimonies of Dykstra's friends and neighbors made the difference in the case, calling it a "nightmare compounded" that "prolonged the agony of [the child's] death."

"I think it was important for the jurors to hear from the many men and women who knew Brian," Spies said. "I was moved by it."...

Several doctors and other medical officials testified they believed the injuries they observed on the child were results of "inflicted injury."

First responders to the 911 call described Dykstra's demeanor at his Iowa City home as unnaturally "calm."

Dykstra's neighbors and church friends spoke positively about his character.

Next-door-neighbor Carey Norton said in her testimony on Monday Dykstra was "very caring" and "very loving," adding she would trust him to watch her own children.

"Brian can be very caring and very gentle, but [he's] definitely someone who's more reserved verbally," Norton said.

Dykstra's character was also the main focus of Spies' closing argument Wednesday.

"Men and women, Brian Dykstra has been described consistently as a caring, loving dad," Spies said. "What you see about Brian is what you get; he is pretty plainspoken and quiet. He is not the killer."

Defense Attorney Leon Spies

DEFENSE ASKS FOR DISMISSAL
Immediately after the prosecution rested, defense attorney Leon Spies as the court to dismiss all charges.

Cedar Rapids Gazette, October 30, 2011
Judge refuses to dismiss murder charges in Dykstra trial
“We have nothing here but mystery,” defense attorney Leon Spies told Judge Patrick Grady. “It cannot be said that the fatal injuries were inflicted out of malice, as opposed to by accident.”

Assistant District Attorney Anne Lahey disagreed and said that numerous doctors testified that Isaac Dykstra had to have suffered the injuries that took his life on Aug. 13, 2005 – the day his dad called 911 and he was rushed to the hospital....

...“There were devastating internal injuries in Isaac’s head caused by a malicious act such as shaking, slamming or a combination of both,” Lahey said.

Grady declined to make an immediate ruling in the case, finding that there is evidence that Dykstra killed his son “with malice and forethought” due to the nature of his injuries.

“A rational juror could conclude that the injuries occurred while he was in the sole care of the defendant,” Grady said. “And the injuries show malice, and that there was a fixed purpose to do harm.”

Asst. County Prosecutor Anne Lahey

CLOSING ARGUMENTS - BOTH
Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 2, 2011
Defense attorney calls Iowa City toddler's death a "tragedy, an accident"Assistant Johnson County Attorney Anne Lahey told jurors hearing the second-degree murder trial of Brian Dykstra during closing arguments today that the couple told a half dozen people in the days preceding Isaac’s death on Aug. 14, 2005, that Isaac was doing fine despite a short fall on Aug. 10.

“Lisa had no concerns about Isaac’s health” on the morning after he fell down two stairs, Lahey said. A friend who came to the house on Aug. 12 – the day before Isaac was rushed to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics with severe head injuries – looked the toddler over and saw just a small bruise on Isaac’s cheek, Lahey said....

...During closing arguments this morning, Dykstra’s defense attorney, Leon Spies, told jurors that the “best scientific minds,” including the state medical examiner, have concluded that it’s “impossible to say that Brian Dykstra is a murder.”

“There is nothing in this case that is inconsistent with this tragedy being exactly what it is,” Spies said. “A tragedy. An accident.”...

...During closing arguments, Lahey reminded jurors about earlier bruising that doctors noticed on Isaac after the Dykstras adopted him from Russia in May 2005. And Lahey pointed out inconsistencies in Dykstra’s stories about what happened on Aug. 13 around the time he called 911.

“We don’t know how many times he slammed his head down,” Lahey said. “We don’t know how many times he shook him.”

But Spies talked to jurors about the quality of Dykstra’s character – about his dream to be a dad and the witnesses who testified to him being a loving father.

Spies stressed that several doctors and experts said toddlers can die from injuries suffered in short falls that develop over several days.

“It’s not fair to judge Brian on the statistics that death from a stairway fall is rare,” Spies said. “We don’t take comfort in the mysteries of this case.”

But, Spies said, if there are doubts, “they have to be resolved in Brian’s favor.”

Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 3, 2011
Deliberations resume in Iowa City murder trial
Dykstra’s defense attorney presented medical experts who said that, although rare, children have been known to die from short falls. The defense also hinted that Isaac, who was adopted just a few months earlier from an orphanage in Russia, might have had unknown medical issues that were not fully disclosed.

During closing arguments in Dystra’s trial, Assistant Johnson County Attorney Anne Lahey told jurors that prosecutors didn’t have to prove how Dykstra killed his son – whether he slammed him or shook him – they had to prove only that he inflicted the fatal injuries, and Lahey reminded jurors that several University of Iowa doctors said the severe injuries only could have occurred shortly before Isaac was hospitalized, when he was in the sole care of his father.

But Dykstra’s defense attorney told jurors that even the Iowa Medical Examiner couldn’t say for sure whether Isaac’s death was a murder or accident. And, he said, any doubts had to be resolved in his client’s favor.

“The evidence was clear that Brian was not the kind of man or father who would kill a child they worked so hard to have in their family,” Spies said after the verdict Thursday. “It was a nightmare compounded too long.”

Getting the verdict

THE VERDICT
Cedar Rapids Gazette, November 3, 2011
Iowa City murder suspect found not guiltyA 12-member jury has found Brian Dykstra not guilty of killing his 21-month-old son in 2005...After hearing the verdict, Dykstra started weeping and buried his face in the shoulder of his attorney Leon Spies. Many of his supporters also started sobbing when the verdict was read, including his former wife, Lisa DeWaard

“This means we can finally grieve our son,” a teary-eyed Lisa DeWaard said after hearing the not guilty verdict in her ex-husband’s trial. “It’s been six very very long years.”

******

I've posted more here than I planned to, so I'll keep my comments short.

I followed this trial through press reports each day, which naturally limits our knowledge of the trial. I'm really surprised, though, at the verdict, which I thought, until today, was a slam dunk for the state..After the prolonged investigation, large numbers of witnesses questioned over that time, and numerous trial postponements, I thought the state would have had a strong enough case to convict.. In fact, I believe the state made its case. The physical evidence presented by the many prosecution witnesses-(police, EMT, and medical) is overwhelming and based in science not neighborly anecdote.

It was clear though that "character" was the only real chance Brian Dykstra had.

I wrote most of this entry in the early hours of Friday and made the supposition then that "character" had been the defense. Now, we see Leon Spies quoted in the Daily Iowan, admitting the strategy. Certainly character counts and should, but I simply can't comprehend how secondhand observations trump scientific evidence and expert testimony--especially since the Dykstra camp couldn't come up with genuine counter arguments. I wish they had. I'd feel better about the verdict.

Without actually attending the trial every day, it is difficult to deconstruct testimony and reporting. We, too are only observers. Two pieces of testimony, though, described in the press, jumped out at me: the conflicting testimony between Brian Dykstra regarding Isaac's appearance the week of his death:

“To the normal average person, he looked fine,” he said. “But, looking back, there was a lot more going on there than just a fall.”

and Lisa DeWaard:

Dykstra’s defense attorney Leon Spies showed jurors pictures of Isaac in the days that preceded his death. One showed him sitting on his father’s lap with visible bruises on his ears. DeWaard said Isaac often pinched his own ears, which she thought was the result of stress from the adoption.

Spies also showed a photo of Isaac eating breakfast on the day before he was rushed to the hospital – two days after the short fall. The photo, which showed visible bruising around Isaac’s eyes, caused DeWaard to choke up.

“That was the last picture taken of him,” she said. “And it was unusual because he’s not smiling, and he was always smiling.”

Something's not right in Iowa City.

Only Brian Dykstra knows what happened, and too many questions will never be answered.

So far there are no comments from the jury, and the Russian government has not made a statement. If there are additions, I'll put them up later.

RIP ILYA/ISAAC
November 18, 2003, Sosnovoborsk - August 14, 2005, Iowa City Iowa

Nikto ne zabyt - Nichto ne zabyto

Update on Artyom Saveliev: Attempt to Exclude Media Postpones Hearing

2011-10-28T17:40:00.000-04:00

Things just got more complicated in WACAP v Hansen, (see entry directly below.) Bedford (TN) County Circuit Court Judge Lee Russell called a postponement in the hearing scheduled for yesterday, after Torry Hansen's lawyer, Sandra Smith, filed a last minute motion to exclude the press and public from the hearing. Smith argued that proceedings and filings in juvenile court are confidential. While this is true, the current case is filed in circuit court and not under seal.

I can't find the motion online, but Shelbyville Times-Gazette reporter John Carney quoted Smith's argument:

The mere fact that the matter may be newsworthy should not override the parties', including those of the minor child, right to confidentiality.

Of course this is laughable. Torry Hansen and her mother Nancy are concerned about Artyom Saveliev's "confidentiality" after their antics plastered his story and picture around the world, turning the boy into an international incident that nearly shutdown cross-country adoption between Russia and the US? Concerned about somebody's confidentiality for sure, but not his.

WACAP;s Nashville attorney Larry Crain said it best:

It is indeed ironic that the same parent who recklessly abandoned her child by placing him on a one-way flight to Moscow would not be concerned about protecting the same child's praviacy?

Crain said that the adoption records filed in the case should remain under seal, quite a different matter from conducing closed-door hearings in circuit court which are open to the public and media..

Yestereday's hearing has been re-scheduled for November 21 At that time, the court will take up the question of open court proceedings with media representatives being allowed to argue their case before Judge Russell. Larry Crane says if the court approves Hansen's challenge, media outlets will probably file their own challenge.

Judge Russell is also expected to rule on whether Artyom can be added as a plailntiff to the WACAP suit.
.
WACAP is requesting child support from Hansen, arguing that putting the boy on a plane to Moscow is not a "legitimtae way to annul an adoption.." Hansen, the agency contends, is still the legal parent, and liable for child support payments to WACAP. Russian courts have also reportedly requested child support from Hansen.

It's a Small World
In 1996, WACAP attorney Larry Crane represented the American Center for Law and Justice in its unsuccessful suit to overturn Tennessee's semi-open records law., Doe v Sundquist. He is a partner in Brentwood Law Offices, and serves as ACLJ's Senior Legal Council. There is no indicaiton that ACLJ is involved in this case.

This entry is cross-posted to my main blog, The Daily Bastardette.

Update on Artyom Savelyev: World Association of Children and Parents v Torry Hansen gets January trial date, hearing today

2011-10-27T07:17:00.000-04:00

I need to do some backtracking on the Artyom Savelyev/Justin Hansen case The 8-year old Russian abandoned by his adopter mother, is still in care somewhere in Moscow. Here's what happening stateside.

The lawsuit filed by World Association of Children and Parents, the adoption agency that placed Artyom with his forever mother Torry Hansen, has been scheduled to be heard in Bedford County (TN) Circuit Court court on January 3, 2012, a year and a half after it was filed. Two motions will be heard later today, though,, one to dismiss; the other to amend the petition. The case is under seal and there are no other details.

Sheriff Boyce during press conference

The WAPAC suit was filed in May 2010, a month after Artyom was COD'd back to the Russian Ministry of Education, via American Airlines, when Torry Hansen and her mother Nancy decided the boy wasn't a good fit. WACAP filed asking to be appointed temporary guardian out of frustration because no one in Tennessee, the boy's "home state," was investigating claims that the Hansens had abandoned and endangered him there. Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce argued that there was no evidence to indicate that the boy had been abandoned in his jurisdiction so no charges could be filed; thus dropping the criminal investigation and tossing the case back to the Russian civil courts..

While the WACP case waited to be heard, a Russian court ordered the Hansens to pay the Russian government about $2500 a month in child support. saying that Torrie Hansen, incredibly was now denying she had had intended to terminate her parental rights when she sent Artyom packing!

Earlier, in January, the English language Moscow Times (paid subscription to access archives) ) reported--picked up by the Shelbyville Times Gazette-- that Russian children's ombudsman Pavel Astakhov tweeted that Torry Hansen, under the threat of child support, was now claiming that she sent Artyom back to Russia by himself because "he asked to see his (biological) mother and she let him go. " Astakhov said that Hansen's court testimony was "cynic slyness" that aimed to avoid making child support payments.

How the note accompanying Artyom to Moscow--and the Hansen's delivery instructions to Russian tour guide Artur Lookyanov, the real hero of this whole sordid affair--could be construed as anything other than a desire to terminate parental rights is something that only the Hansen's lawyers can explain. (The family s now on its third attorney).

It gets more headachey with the National Council for Adoption jumping in on it. .Since court documents are under seal, I'm going to let Brian Mosely, reporter for the Shelbyville Times-Gazette, who has diligently worked to untangle the Hansen mess from the beginning, take it from there (with some repetition of what I wrote above): .

Russians want support

A motion was filed last week by the World Association for Children and Parents (WACAP), the National Council for Adoption (NCFA) and adoptive parent Jennifer Terhune, requesting for more time to respond to the motion to dismiss that was filed at the end of 2010 by Henegar. (at that time the Hansen's lawyer)

Terhune is a resident of Wilson County that WACAP is asking to be appointed the guardian of the boy since she has already adopted three children from China and Korea.Attorneys representing the adoption agencies are currently engaged in a jury trial in Chattanooga and have requested until Jan. 28 to respond to the motion and set a date for oral arguments on pending matters.

Henegar argued in her dismissal motion that Tennessee does not have jurisdiction to order child support because it is not the boy's "home state," the termination of parental rights proceeding precludes the court from exercising exclusive jurisdiction, that the court should decline jurisdiction because it is not the appropriate forum and that even if the state did have jurisdiction, it could not award child support.

Last May, WACAP filed a petition requesting that Bedford County's Circuit Court appoint the agency as a temporary guardian for the boy. The matter was moved to juvenile court in August after an agreed order was signed by both parties.But in October, WACAP, NCFA and Terhune filed a second amended petition that asked the court to determine child support due from the Hansens.

Henegar wrote that NCFA has alleged it had been in contact with Russian authorities and intended to provide evidence "regarding the amount necessary for Justin's care and maintenance in Russia." NCFA has also alleged that the Russians had appointed it as the "liaison" with the court. Henegar claims.

"In actuality, NCFA has repeatedly engaged in ex parte communications with the Judge of the Moscow City Court to persuade the Court to postpone its proceedings to terminate Respondent's (the Hansen's) parental rights due to the fact that Respondent will not have to pay child support in Tennessee once her rights are terminated and will not be held criminally liable," Henegar wrote.

On Dec. 13, 2010, the Municipality of Intra-municipal Formation in Moscow refined their claim, asking that Hansen pay for the support of the child.Henegar pointed out that Tennessee state law defines the "home state" as where a child lived with a parent for at least six months, claiming that the boy lived with the Hansen's in Bedford County from Oct. 7, 2009, to April 6, 2010 -- less than six months.She also states that the Moscow court has accepted jurisdiction over the proceeding since the boy has been in that country's jurisdiction for more than six months immediately preceding the filing of the petition to revoke the adoption and to seek child support.

Artyom's case is further complicated by the confusing status of his citizenship, with both countries claiming him for themselves. As far as I know, this hasn't been clarified.

Early reports indicated a married couple described as English-speaking Russian diplomats who had reared two orphans, had been appointed his guardian and that he would not be sent to an orphanage. Several later reports indicate he is indeed in an orphanage, though government authorizes deny it.

******

I have written extensively on this case. Please go to the right sidebar and click on the link. This entry is cross-posted to my main blog, The Daily Bastardette..

Long Awaited Dykstra Trial to Start October 24

2011-10-15T00:38:00.000-04:00

Crossposted to the Daily Bastardette

According to the Iowa City Press-Citizen and the Daily Iowan, the trial of Brian Dykstra, accused of the August 2006 beating death of his adopted Russian son Ilya Kargynysev/Isaac Jonathan Dykstra will start October 24.

A pretrial was held on Thursday to discuss "specifics of how technological issues would be dealt with, especially in reference to the handling of redacted footage,which caused a mistrial in the Charles Thompson homicide trial in September." (unrelated to the Dykstra case)

Dykstra, apparently still in South Carolina, where he lives with his wife, an assistant professor of Spanish at Clemson University, listened in on the hearing by speaker phone

Earlier this year prosecutors and defense said they intended to call eleven doctors and 39 witnesses to testify.

The trial is expected to last about eight days.

To read more about the case, including In Memoriam (Summary of all cases) and Summary of Killers and Sentences, click on Isaac's name in the "Labels"sidebar at the right..

Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Jonathan Dykstra Update: Trial date to be announced soon

2011-06-29T12:44:00.005-04:00

This is cross-posted from my main blog, The Daily Bastardette.

Eastern Iowa News Now reported yesterday that lawyers have narrowed down Brian Dykstra's trial date to the week of October 24 or the week of November 28, 2011. Dyskstra is charged with 2nd degree murder in the August 2005 death his Russian adopted son, Ilya Kargyntsev/ Jonathan Dykstra.

Due to scheduling conflicfts, proceedings maybe be forced to occur in non-sequential order. A definite trial date will be announced soon.

Eleven doctors and 39 witnesses are expected to testify.

More information on the case can be found in the righthand sidebar, including In Memoriam and Summary of Killers and Sentences.

Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Jonathan Dykstra Update

2011-06-19T16:25:00.004-04:00

I'm starting to catch up on some old stories I neglected over the last few months. This is one of them. This is cross-posted on my main blog The Daily Bastardette.

Over a year ago I reported that Brian Dykstra, charged with 2nd degree murder in the death of his adopted Russian son, Ilya Kargyntsev/Issac Jonathan Dykstra, 21 months, had waived his right to a speedy trial. He wasn't joking. According to May 13, 2011 DesMoines Register, Dykstra's trial, scheduled to begin May 23, has once again been postponed. (Trial delayed for former Iowa City man charged in infant death)

On May 5, 2010, just days before his trial was to begin last time, (after at least one earlier postponement), the prosecution and defense filed a joint motion requesting a new trial date due to the complexity of the case. According to their motion, more than 130 witnesses may be called.

No reason for the latest delay has been given, and no new trial date set.

Ilya died on August 14, 2005 the day after he was admitted to the hospital with severe brain injuries. Brian Dykstra, however, was not charged until August 7, 2008. Dykstra remains free on bond. He now lives in South Carolina where his wife is an assistant professor of Spanish at Clemson University. She was not home at the time of the alleged incident and has not been charged.

More information on the case can be found by can be found by clicking on links in the righthand sidebar, including In Memoriam and Summary of Killers and Sentences.

Ivan Skorobogtov/Nathaniel Craver Update

2010-07-05T10:47:00.018-04:00

I have obtained new information on the Ivan Skorobogtov/Nathaniel Craver murder case.

Ivan/Nathaniel was adopted from Dom Rebyonka #9 in Troitsk, Chelyabinsk region. He was placed through Lutheran Social Services of the South, Austin, Texas. LSS lost its accreditation on May 20, 2005 and closed its Russian program. The adoption took place when LSS was accredited.

These changes are in the updated on Forever Family - Forever Dead.

On June 14, the Michael and Nanette Craver pled not guilty to all charges at their arraignment hearing. Defense attorney Gerald Lord says he has no idea when the case will go to trial. It may start as late as next year.

In May, the York County Senior deputy prosecutor Jennifer Russell, citing Vanya's age and the state's contention that his death constituted torture, said she would seek the death penalty.

The Russian government is watching the case closely.

No Justice for Masha: Part 937

2010-06-22T21:59:00.012-04:00

Masha Allen continues to pawned through the US justice system.

James Marsh reported today on his ChildLaw Blog that Masha Allen's federal lawsuit has been dismissed due to, of all things, "failure to properly plead a basis for federal jurisdiction."

I don't know the details but according to Marsh:

Despite the trenchant involvement of a reconstructed legal team consisting of much-sought after guardian ad litem Cambria County bankruptcy attorney Timothy J. Sloan (who replaced Masha's former mother Faith Allen as lead plaintiff), Georgia attorneys David S. Bills (who blogs anonymously about Masha's case at poundpuplegacy.org), William Q. Bird and Darren Summerville (who were originally hired by Faith Allen who reportedly now lives in Georgia), and Pennsylvania First Amendment attorney Thomas Vecchio (who replaced renowned Philadelphia attorney Robert N. Hunn who withdrew under protest last year), Masha "did not oppose (and consents to) dismissal [of the lawsuit] without prejudice on ground of lack of subject matter jurisdiction." .

27 lawyers have been involved in this case, and still Masha can't get one splinter of justice. (Where are all those politicians who vowed to help her?) She turns 18 in August and will be out from under the thumb of the state then, with unfortunately, for what it's worth, no one to handle her legal affairs. We don't know what to expect. According to Marsh, Masha has vowed to keep her case going, but we have no idea where it may go. Or where she may go.

If Masha Allen, the victim of one of the worse child trafficking cases in US history, can't get justice, how can we expect justice for anyone "touched by adoption"?

Liam Thompson/Dmitry Sergeyvich Islankulov Update: Liam's Sister

2010-05-08T02:54:00.004-04:00

In October 2003 Liam Thompson born Dmitry Sergeyvich Islankulov,was torture-murdered by his Forever Parents of six months, Gary and Amy Thompson of Galloway, Ohio. He died on his third birthday. Liam had a slightly older sister, adopted at the same time and from the same agency, Tree of Life in Portland, Oregon. We heard little about his sister then, not even her name, only that she had been placed in care and would probably be adopted by a new family.

On April 26, the Columbus Dispatch published a story about Liam's invisible sister, Ira: Russian girl survives awful first adoption to find love in a new home.

Once, a long time ago, Ira was Irina Alexandrovna Pavlova. Then she was Irina Thompson, neglected, but not abused, by Gary and Amy Thompson. Now she is Irina Elizabeth Jean Palmer daughter of Don and Nadine Palmer and sister of Jessica and Cache. She lives in Powell, Ohio, just north of Columbus. Ira likes Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus, and she's a gymnast. Pink is her favorite color. She wonders about her family in Russia. She remembers Liam.

One of the key tools in the prosecution of Liam's death was Amy Thompson's computer diary where she wrote of her disappointment in the children and how they "sickened" her. They ruined her self-esteem. With their needs and problems, they caused her to doubt her formerly "good" parenting skills. Her 15-year old biological daughter, who knew what her parents had done to Liam, tipped police to the journal. Full contents of the diary have never been published, but police used the document in their investigation. A few excerpts were introduced in court and reported in the Dispatch:*

Columbus Dispatch, June 19, 2004: Mom says baby scalded because she disliked him; Mom pleads guilty in connection with son's death:

We discussed how much we would love to get rid of them like dogs at the pound, and even contacted a ranch in Montana about taking them to other homes.

I just want to leave him somewhere and walk away, just be free of responsibility for his kid I don't even like. He is so slimy He makes me ill.

Columbus Dispatch, December 12, 2004: Diary of an adoption tragedy:

While I am doing this (hitting children and screaming at them) it feels oddly good. I feel a sense of relief to get out some of anger, and I have to stop before I really hurt them. Afterwards, I feel somewhat guilty, but not as much as I should.

Columbus Dispatch, December 12, 2004: Russian adoption rules full of holes, little US oversight:

In a diary on Mrs. Thompson's computer, she wrote about how frustrated she was that Liam and a second Russian-born child they adopted had "no distinguishable personality."

Columbus Dispatch, April 26, 2010 (link at top):

I am mad at them for being so much damn work (angry) at them for not just fitting in and for having no personality.

The Thompsons apparently did not seek much professional help for the children or themselves, but even if they had...

In August, the Dispatch contacted Tree of Life for about the case:

Bianca Marcu, coordinator of international adoptions for Tree of Life, said her agency cannot be blamed for Liam's death. "Considering the adoption is completed, they are the legal parent," Marcu said. "I don't see how the adoption agency should be involved any more. It's easy to point the blame of the adoption agency."

She refused to comment later.

In 2000, Tree of Life placed Romanian 5-year old "orphan" Anton Nicolae-Danut, adoptive name Daniel Peckenpaugh, with pedophile William Delos Peckenpaugh, who videotaped his sexual abuse with the boy, and is now in prison. Prosecutors say he" adopted the boy to be a sex toy." To the best of my knowledge Tree of Life has made no comment on the case, so we can assume Marcu holds not fault there, either.

Tree of Life is Hague accredited through COA.

Before the Thompsons killed Liam, Gary Thompson worked for a credit union; Amy Thompson was an LPN. Gary pled guilty to one count of murder a month after Liam's death and was sentenced to 15 years to life. His first parole hearing will be in August 2018. Amy Thompson pled guilty to involuntary manslaughter. The judge recommended no early release. She will remain in prison until October 9, 2017. Amy's teenage daughter from her first marriage was placed in foster care; the Thompsons'son, close to the ages of Irina and Liam, last we heard, was living with relatives.

Irina seems to be doing well, and we are happy about that, but Nadine Palmer makes a troubling statement at the end of the article:

"When their names come up (the Thompsons) they try to focus on the good. "We always say that if Amy and Gary hadn't gone to Russia, we wouldn't have Irina."

We don't know anything about Irina except the story in the Dispatch. But... I hear a lot of this kind of talk coming from people trying to make sense out of disorder and tragedy, especially when they aren't the direct recipient of that disorder and horror themselves, but witness it in others. I guess it comforts them. We hope, the Palmers, through their positivity, are not forcing Irina to choke down the horror of Liam's death and of the Forever Thompson Family. To hold back her grief. Saying, virtually, that if it weren't for Liam's death, they wouldn't "have" Irina now, is not acceptable.

*I have hard copies of all articles from the Dispatch, but the originals have been moved to the paper's paid archives, so I'm linking them to Pound Pup's archives.

Ilya Kargyntsev/saac Dykstra Update: Brian Dykstra Waives Right to Speedy Trial

2010-05-05T15:14:00.002-04:00

The trial of Brian Dykstra, charged with second degree murder in the death of his adopted son Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Dykstra has been held off indefinitely. The trial was scheduled to start on May 10. The prosecution and defense filed a joint motion Friday requesting a new trial date due to the complexity of the case. According to their motion more than 130 witnesses may be called.

You can read about Isaac on my Summary of Cases page and a little about Brian Dykstra on my Summary of Cases - Killers page.

Comments from a member of the Dyskra family are here.

UPDATE: APRIL 22, 2010

2010-04-20T09:58:00.024-04:00

I've done some long-due updating on my Memoriam page, adding Nathaniel Craver born Ivan Skorobogatov. Vanya died August 25, 2009, the result of severe beating and malnourishment. After a 6-month investigation, on February 26, 2010, His Forever Parents, Michael and Nanette Craver were arrested and charged with felony homicide, conspiracy, and child endangerment. The Cravers are scheduled for a preliminary hearing on April 29. I've been trying to dig out agency information, but nothing so far.

I have also added the Cravers to my "Killers" page and done a couple updates and clean-ups in other cases.

Brian Dykstra, accused of killing Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Dykstra is finally going to trial. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for April 29 and trial date set for May 10,2010. See the Memoriam page for details of the case.

The Weird World of Torry Hansen: An Accusation from Hayfork

2010-04-19T15:11:00.002-04:00

The Daily Bastardette and Nikto Ne Zabyt is probably the only place you will find this!

Our quick-witted commenter "blueheron" caught the following comment on the Redding Record/Redding.com article, Russian boy case linked to Redding and added it to my Weird World of Torry Hansen comments (on the Daily Bastardette site.)

I'm posting it here because I think the comment deserves wider distribution and shouldn't just set as a comment.--especially since it has been disappeared from it's original site newspaper site.

We can't judge the veracity of the writer, but it's an intriguing clue to the Hansen puzzle. From what we know of similar abuse cases involving the Forever Families of Russian adoptees, social isolation plays is a key marker.

blueheron wrote:
Here is a comment from the article about the Hansens in Redding and Hayfork. I can't vouch for the truth, but it is interesting. Any errors are in the original. Here's the link to the article/comments: http://www.redding.com/news/2010/apr/16/russian-boy-case-linked-to-redding/?partner=RSS

southforkmom writes:
The other part of this story has no one questioning the mother's role in this picture. The real story here is that Torry is the one with the strange, controlling upbringing. It is known in Hayfork that Erik and Nancy would enroll their children in public school and then pull them out to homeschool after some issue and would do this frequently. Another daughter got pregnant and the parents feigned the disapearance of the girl because they didn't like the boyfriend. The boyfriend filed a missing person's report with the sheriff's department and was very concerned with her whereabouts and safety. It was determined by the d.a.'s office that she actually wasn't a missing person. A child was born and that father still to this day hasn't had any contact with that child. I believe that Russian boy isn't the one with the problem here. The fact that Torry put that boy on a plane to RUSSIA! alone instead of getting help from the appropriate athorities says alot more about her character. Maybe he was just stuck in a horrible situation and that was his only way to retaliate.

Thanks blueheron!

There is much more to this story from the Hansen AND the adoption industry side. We're doing our part to make sure it gets told.

ADDENDA:
blueherron posted this additional comment from Redding.com on The Daily Bastardette.
I'm re-posting it here for wider distribution:

blueheron:
Well, just in case this one disappears, too, I'm posting it. The explanation of "gaming" public authorities is worth noting, I thought. From the comments in the same article, responding to SouthforkMom:

April 19, 2010
Poeschl writes:
Thanks to SouthforkMom's comment (April 17) regarding Torry Hansen's parents, their controlling upbringing of Torry and her sisters with repeated homeschooling, and especially Erik & Nancy Hansen's filing a false missing persons report with Hayfork law enforcement.

I also note Terra Kephart's comment (in the news article) that the Hansens were socially reclusive.

All this information is corroborated by the Hansen family's behavior in Tennessee (where they had moved from California) from 2006 onward, with the social reclusion of the entire family, the homeschooling, and their 'gaming' of public authorities by providing false information or by withholding necessary information.

The last trait, the 'gaming' of public authorities by withholding necessary information, is borne out by Torry & Nancy Hansen's returning Justin Hansen to Russia without giving prior notice either to the Russian government, or to the Washington State adoption agency that had arranged the adoption, or to the followup agency (Adoption Assistance Inc., of Danville, KY) that had contracted to monitor Torry Hansen's adoption.

It is not even clear that authorities in Bedford County, TN, where Torry & Nancy Hansen resided with Justin, had ever received formal notice from the Hansens that Torry Hansen had custody of a child. Thus no independent third party can verify Torry & Nancy Hansen's claims about Justin's threats and violence -- which is probably exactly what the Hansens intended.

It should also be noted that both Torry and Nancy Hansen did travel to Russia to meet Justin-Artyom and spend time with him before they decided to complete the adoption and take him back to the U.S. Also, the followup agency, Adoption Assistance, Inc., had previously educated Torry Hansen about the difficulties of Russian adoption and especially the difficulties encountered in caring for older institutionalized children and possible abnormal behavior. So, Torry and Nancy Hansen were not unprepared for Justin-Artyom and his allegedly difficult behavior.

The Russian government has already placed Justin-Artyom with a diplomatic family in Moscow who are well-informed about his history, are prepared to cope with his behavior, and plan to adopt him.

Note to Timbuk24U: Adoption is not like marriage. Marriage is between two consenting adults. Justin-Artyom is a child who did not consent be adopted by Torry Hansen. Also, once the adoption was finalized in November 2009, Justin-Artyom automatically became a U.S. citizen, and Torry Hansen lost the right to unilaterally terminate the adoption without the prior approval of an American court. Bedford County authorities will have to get a court order to unseal the adoption papers (which include whether the adoption was legally terminated). But if the adoption was not legally terminated, Torry Hansen could face charges of abandonment.

JCICS Attempts to Flood 'Net and Russia with "Positive Adoption Stories"

2010-04-15T13:35:00.004-04:00

Just like cockroaches under the sink, JCICS is all over the Internet today with its We are the Truth Petition and National Adoption Blogger Day--all meant to force Russia to shut up and to continue send their orphans to US Forever Homes--while, of course, decrying the Saveliev/Hansen case as an "rare" exception., not systemic rot.

I was going to write about this, but Baby Love Child has already done it (and- shameless plug-- also promoted by Russian work): Russian adoptees & an "Adoption Blogger Day" Ah! How Special

Today the Joint Council on International Children’s Services (JCICS) an adoption industry trade lobby here in the U.S. desires to clog social media with “positive adoption stories” in other words, adopter spam, (and no doubt grateful adoptee spam as well) culled from its member agencies’ adoptive parents files and email lists in a last ditch desperate attempt to try to stop Russia from ending American adoptions in the wake of the one way flight that took Artyem Saviliev from his “forever family” in the United States back to Russia.

They’ve called for an “Adoption Blogger Day.” Note that it’s not an Adoptee Blogger Day, because some of what Bastards have to say doesn’t exactly line up with the industry’s program.

Each of those tweets or FB entries or blog posts are calibrated towards a specific goal, ensuring inter-country adoptions continue. In other words, astro-turfing up a blizzard of ‘adoption is wonderful’ aimed at international adoption policy and maintaining the import of Russian adoptees.

Followed by an important long critique.

How about adding your own "adoption story? Twitter: #AdoptionBloggerDay

/p>

Addenda, April 16: JCICS now has a We Are the Truth video using cute Russian adoptees to pimp the industry. No mention that JCIC's own (then) adoption ethics honcho Jeannene Smith sold Masha "Allen" to pedophile Matthew Mancuso and never lifted a finger to help her post-placement and midlead and lied to the FBI and Congress to boot.

Russia Freezes Adoptions to US

2010-04-15T11:35:00.004-04:00

The Russian Foreign Ministry has put a freeze on all adoptions to the US until an agreement can be made between the two countries to better protect the rights--and we presume bodies and minds--of children placed in US homes.

New York Times:
“Future adoptions of Russian children by citizens of the United States, which are now suspended, are possible only if such an agreement is reached,” a spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Andrei Nesterenko, (right) said at a briefing on Thursday.

Officials at the United States Embassy in Moscow said they had not received official notification of a suspension and were seeking more information from their Russian counterparts.

Fox News adds:
Today State Department sources were caught unawares by the announcement of a freeze. A U.S. diplomatic source told me "we don't know anything about it, the Russians have told us nothing officially".

The National Council for Adoption sent out a press release (not yet online) this morning which reads in part:

The National Council For Adoption (NCFA) has spoken with Russian officials in the Ministry of Education (the Russian department with oversight of intercountry adoption) and with those in the Russian Embassy and neither department has been able to confirm the announcement or issue a public statement regarding when and if it will go into effect.

JCICS posted a similar statement

There's nothing on the State Department Intercountry Adoption page yet.

I find it hard to believe that everybody just misunderstood Andrei Nesterenko

Your tax dollars at work:

A US State Department delegation is headed for Moscow to try to bail out the privately owned international adoption industry.

Addenda: This just in from NCFA (not online):
DATED 11:36am

NCFA has confirmed with officials from the U.S. Department of State that the rumor of a suspension of intercountry adoptions from Russia to the U.S. is currently false. Intercountry adoptions are still being processed by the Russian Ministry of Education

The Weird World of Torry Hansen: An Incident

2010-04-15T02:27:00.001-04:00

OK. We have officially entered the Weird World of Torry Hansen.

The Tennessean reports that back in 2006, Torry Hansen and a former neighbor Robert Abbott engaged in what it calls a "bizarre feud."

How bizarre?

The paper doesn't give us the run-up, but reports that at 4:19 AM October 7, 2006, Hansen called the cops on Abbott complaining he was on her property. He was arrested and charged with criminal trespassing. The charges were dropped later. At the time, Hansen was sharing a home in Chapel Hill with her parents, sister, and a young boy, who I assume is Logan.

Sheriff Randall Boyce, currently investigating Artem's case, says he has a vague recollection of the feud:

I remember they were putting cameras on each other.

Cameras on each other?

Fredia Smith, who purchased the 4,300-square-foot Chapel Hill home and 30 acres from the Hansens in 2007 remembers visible evidence of the feud well.

She keeps a picture of a trailer Hansen painted neon orange, green and purple and placed near the road, apparently to irritate her neighbors. It was loaded with video equipment and sensor-activated lighting facing the Abbott’s house. The Hansens insisted on keeping the parcel of land it sat on out of the sale.

“It was like — whoo! — football stadium lights all of sudden in front of their house,” Smith said. “I thought it was kind of odd that they would not even think about selling that piece of property to me and they insisted on having that trailer there.”

Smith finally told the Hansens she would not buy the property if the trailer was not painted a solid color or removed. They removed it months later, she said.

Did this show up in the home study?

Oh! I almost forgot. Hansen's lawyer Trisha Henegar... She was Robert Abbott's lawyer back then.

Getting Weirder and Weirder: New Developments in the Saveliev/Hansen Case

2010-04-14T17:15:00.005-04:00

Like Laura Silsby, Torry Hansen and her mother Nancy just get weirder and weirder.

Unless otherwise cited, the following material comes from this ABC News article and video.

Another Adoptee for Torry Hansen
ABC News reported yesterday, using an unnamed source inside the Bedford County sheriff's office, that while Torry Hansen was getting ready to ship one adopted son back to Russia she was trying to adopt another child from the Republic of Georgia. And she wasn't getting any help from her agency, the World Association for Children and Parents, either:

She switched adoption agencies after the agency that arranged the adoption of her first child, World Association for Children and Parents, urged her to wait before adopting again, the source said. The association advised Hansen it would be best to settle in with the boy before adding to her family, the source said.

WACAP now has a FAQ on its page regarding Artem's case (much of which is "confidential" and cannot be released) and outlining international adoption procedures and practices it follows.

No more details on the alleged second adoption plan ..but in a related note...

...WSMV-TV Nashville reports that Artem was not Torry Hansen's first try at adoption.

An unnamed co-worker from the VA Hospital in Murfreesboro where Hansen works as a medical/surgical nurse says that a year ago Torry and Nancy Hansen spent two weeks in Russia to meet a child with mental and developmental problems Torry planned to adopt. Deciding she (or we bet "they") couldn't handle a special needs child, the two returned home empty-handed. The friend reports that six months later WACAP called Torry with a new child described as having "no serious problems." Ms and Mrs. Hansen made a quick trip to Russia and returned with Artem.

The friend told WSMV that Torry's decision to adopt from Russia was influenced by her sister's "successful" adoption from Russia of Logan, described in earlier news reports as Torry's biological son. Torry, the friend says, wanted the boys to "grow up together like brothers."

When I first heard about Logan last weekend I was concerned about his reaction to the sudden disappearance of Artem and the firestorm that followed. Adoptees are all too familiar with the Forever Family threat, "I'll send you back to where you came from." In this case, it happened. As a Russian adoptee himself, does Logan now fear he'll be sent back, too?

Speaking of the boys, you may remember that Artem told authorities that he had not attended school while living with Torry Hansen; suggesting a pattern of social isolation that is common amongst abused and murdered Russian adoptees (though hardly limited to that abused group). ABC reports that neither Artem nor Logan attended public school and that they are not registered in a home school program as required under Tennessee law. This report contradicts a claim by Nancy Hansen published the Toronto Star that Artem was working with an English-language home school program to prepare him for enrollment in a "traditional school "in the fall. If so, what was Logan doing?

A Helping Hand for the Hansens?
Despite Nancy Hansen's claim that the decision to deport Artem to whence he came was a last-minute decision, Karina Krasnova, the lawyer that Hansen claims advised her, says she was contacted by Hansen a month ago. You can read their correspondence,--which really consists of a free "ask a Russian lawyer entry--in yesterday's "lawyer identified" entry.

Krasnova actually gave Hansen succinct, but excellent advice, and...a-hem...warned her that Torry could be held financially responsible for Artem until he is 18 if he weren't re-adopted. Obviously a one-way ticket to Moscow is cheaper.

In an interview with RIA Novisti, Krasnova says that she offered to represent the Hansens in the Russian courts if they decided to disrupt. (I found this information last night off the Russian language news.ru.com and today can't locate the links to either article. I printed out the article, "American grandmother Artem Saveliev: for the daughter adoption was a tragedy . She became an outcast."

Krasnova appears briefly in the ABC video at the bottom of this blog (taken from the above ABC link). Speaking of Nancy Hansen, she says through a translator:

When this woman encountered a massive problem nobody lent her a helping hand. I think this was an act of desperation by the family.

Kransova says "nobody lent a helping hand." The New York Times reports that there is no evidence that the Hansens ever asked for that helping hand or that anyone was aware they needed one. United Way of Bedford County, the Tennessee Department of Children Services and an unnamed Shelbyville social service agency say the Hansens did not contact them for help.

The Toronto Star (above link) reports that Hansen (which one?) reportedly consulted a psychologist but never took Artem for an evaluation or session. Moreover, there is no evidence that the Hansens contacted the International Adoption Clinic at Vanderbilt University, only an hour away in Nashville. (Torry Hansen took her undergrad degree at Vandy).

WACAP says it had no report of problems, and actually received a happy family picture from the Hansens a couple weeks before Artem was dumped. They only learned about his return when the Russian Ministry of Education called them on April 8.

Adoption Assistance, Inc. in Smyrna, Tennessee (Lisa Mosley, casework supervisor), which did the home study and post-placement checks (WACAP's endorsement here) has released a statement saying the Hansens never discussed serious problems with Artem. I cannot find a copy of the statement online, but the NYT says:

And the agency that conducted home visits before and after Justin’s adoption, Adoption Assistance, in Smyrna, Tenn., released a statement Monday saying the Hansens had not told its social worker about the severity of their concerns. In January, the statement said, a social worker found that “the child appeared to be adjusting to his new home and family and his mother was enthusiastic about his accomplishments.”

Nancy Hansen has said the boy became a problem later. Adoption Assistance said, “If this mother would have contacted us when the adjustment problems began, we would have worked with her on the issues or arranged alternative placement.”

Which, of course, is right in line with Krasnova's unhappy legal warning.

Hansen Compound
Commenters on various forums have remarked on the oddity of Torry Hansen, as a new adoptive mother and her own mother Nancy living together. Actually they don't. It just seems like they do. As you can see from the picture (right) they live side-by-side, their modular homes connected by a high wide fence. There is no doubt, though, that Torry Hansen is henpecked and Nancy does all her talking. Torry (and probably the rest of the family) are inseparable and indistinct from Nancy.

ABC's Ashleigh Banfield, reporting across the street from the Hansen homes tosses this little grenade into the news hole and then walks away from it with no explanation or seeming curiosity. Explaining that the Hansens are avoiding the long arm of the media, Banfield stretches her own long arm out to what she calls the Hansen "compound":

They are in a very extensive compound behind me. Acres and acres of land, several buildings that the [Hansen] family members all live and work in.

Look over here real quickly. A very expansive system of fencing that goes for hundreds of yards and is 6 feet tall.

Neighbors say that's really unusual for this these parts, and the neighbors said they really don't know these people well. But we did find a friends who said they would never ever hurt Artum like this...

Say what? Fenced-in compound?

I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon and evening trying to figure out what's going on--if anything-- behind the fence at 8973 Couchville Pike, admittedly difficult to do from behind a computer in Columbus, Ohio.

ABC and earlier the New York Times reported on the Hansen family's apparent isolation, a marker in a good number of abuse cases. Neighbors said that outside of bi-weekly yard sales, the Hansens had little interaction with them. One neighbor who lives "within eyesight of the Hansen's" believed the family came from California and had moved in about a year ago. She reported that during a rare neighborly discussion, an unnamed Hansen woman said she didn't like the area and was thinking of "going back." This same woman said she didn't remember ever seeing Artem. Other neighbors said they have no idea where the family went to church, which struck me very odd since church is central to most folks in that area. The area, known locally as El Bethel (or the El Bethel Community) was founded in 1837 when Primitive Baptists built a church there. The current El Bethel Baptist Church, which includes a rec center and social hall, is a couple minutes walk from Hansen's homes. So far, no connection has been made between the church and the family. From the look of things, there is none.

It's important to note that no neighbors, quoted in the NYT, at least any that made the cut, mentioned a mysterious "compound" where various Hansen family members live and work--a point you'd think would be taken. From the ABC video and and Google Maps satellite view, the area doesn't look like a farm where people might live together. It's more like a group of ugly modular buildings. It's all very curious.

The Hansens have spent a good part of their lives in out-of-the-way places like Mount Juliet, Tennessee (their actual location, not Shelbyville.) Places like Hayfork, Calilfornia (pop 2,315) Bandera, Texas ( pop. 957), Unionville, Tennessee (pop 6,532): close enough to larger cities to get things done, but far enough out of the way to be left alone. The largest cities I've found them related to are Madison, Alabama and Redding, California.

Neither Torry, Nancy, nor any of their known close family members: Erik Robert Hansen, Tammy Jo Hansen, Tracy L. Hansen and possibly Evelyn Ruth Hansen, Paul Hansen, and Anna Hansen appear in any local or nearby newspapers.

Bedford County, Tennessee public records (clerk of courts, auditor, treasurer, probate, etc.) are not available online nor are they available for Trinity County, California or Banderas County, Texas. Madison County and Shasta County, California records, however, are online. There are no listings for any of them in Madison County. I found entries for Erik Robert Hansen and the names Tracy Hansen and Nancy Hansen (not verified as "our" Hansens) in the Shasta County, California Superior Court database, but the court's "new and improved" system won't let me in to them. Perhaps somebody else will have better luck. I don't see online access for other public records in the county.

Except for recent news coverage, the Hansens are virtually absent from the Internet.

There is enough blame to spread around, but it should start with Adoption Assistance. The Hansen's unusual living arrangement and dysfunctional family relationships should have been noted during the home study. Certainly Nancy Hansen's overarching influence on Torry and presumably the rest of the family and what seems to be her role as primary caregiver for Atem should have been a red flag either then or during post-placement investigations. I've known people subjected to all kinds of absurd home study checks--the most absurd reported when a social worker stuck a thermometer inside a refrigerator to assure acceptable food temperature. At the opposite end, there's the phone-in (if that) home study of pedophile Mathhew Mancuso who adopted Masha "Allen" to be his sex slave. Home studies are the gateway, and it looks like in this case, the lock was pretty rusty.

The idea of a fenced-in compound where the family lives and works smacks of fundamentalism or survivialism or both. Especially so when linked to the Hansen's lack of community interaction, Artem and Logan's lack of formal schooling, the family's apparent refusal to seek help from local social service agencies, and their rejection of legal advice and services. So far, we've only got Ashleigh Banfield's word about the "compound." Local media should follow up on her report. It can't be that difficult to dig around on-site. If I were down there, I'd be out on Couchville Pike.

Sidenote: Imagine my surprise when during the video below, some pictures from my memorial page showed up. (2:53). I know at least some of them are mine because they are not available online and I got them from private sources, and edited them myself. That's, OK. I just wasn't expecting it.

Nancy/Torry Hansen Lawyer Identified: And No! That's Not the Advice She Gave!

2010-04-13T16:16:00.004-04:00

I have found it difficult to believe that any lawyer, even online, would have advised the Hansens to stick Artem on a plane and hire a tour guide to escort him to the Ministry of Science and Education building on Moscow's main street. Hansen's lawyer has now been identified as St. Petersburg attorney Karina Krasnova. Despite Nancy Hansen's plea that she made a quick decision to send Artum back, Krasnova says Hanson contacted her a month ago about how to return the boy. Sending him to Tverskaya was definitely NOT the advice she gave.

Krasnova has a free Ask Russian Lawyer a Question feature on her (linked above) webpage. Guess what? That's where Nancy Hansen got her advice--actually good advice--which she promptly ignored. If the Hansens think they can plead ignorance of the law or get Krasnova to back them up, they're in for a real rude awakening.

Here is how the Q & A went:

Q: My daughter adopted boy from Russia (she is a single mother). My daughter was lied to about the child’s behavior by the orphanage caregivers. The safety of herself and others is a major issue. She is no longer willing to keep him in her home.

The child has stated many times that he wants to return to the orphanage and misses his friend. As the adoption has not worked, I would like to know what the Russian law is in returning him to the orphanage. Also, if the law allows this, how much you would charge to facilitate this matter.

A: Procedure for cancellation of adoption is regulated by Art. 140-142 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation. Adoption can be terminated only by court order and by serious reasons. Usually termination of adoption is a punitive measure applicable to parents who evade discharge of their parental obligations, abuse parental rights, abuse adopted children, or are alcohol or drug addicted.

However a court may also cancellation adoption by other reasons. According to Art. 141, par. 2 of the Family Code of the Russian Federation a court is entitled to terminate adoption of a child by other reasons taking into account child's opinion and if it is in the best interests of the child.

Thus, notwithstanding that fact that the wish of adoptive parents to cancellation the adoption is not a direct and unconditional reason for such termination it may be done “by other reasons taking into account child's opinion and if it is in the best interests of the child”.

If a court comes to a conclusion that return of the child to Russia is in his best interests a corresponding court order will be issued and it will lead to the following:

- reciprocal rights and obligations of the adopted child and the adoptive parents and their relatives (including grandmother) will be terminated by court order;
- the child will be returned to his parents by court order. If he has no parents or return of the child to the parents is not in his best interests, the child will be taken care of by guardianship institutions;
- the court will also decide whether the name given to the child after adoption will be changed.

You should also keep in mind that the court is entitled to lay an obligation to pay child maintenance over the former adoptive parent (your daughter) in accordance with the procedure established by the law. Therefore after termination of adoption in Russia your daughter may be obliged to pay child support until the child becomes 18 years old.

In interests of the child the court can resolve adoption of the child by other family, without returning the child to Russia. In this case I see an alternative way of dealing with your problem. Many families in America dream of adoption and your child may be adopted by another family, in this way he will be able to live in a family in the USA.

For any actions concerning this child it is necessary for you to receive approval of Russian authorities.
ince

Could this caveat--not the alleged scary drawing--have been the real last straw?

You should also keep in mind that the court is entitled to lay an obligation to pay child maintenance over the former adoptive parent (your daughter) in accordance with the procedure established by the law. Therefore after termination of adoption in Russia your daughter may be obliged to pay child support until the child becomes 18 years old.

ABC News reports that Torry Hansen was trolling for a replacement, even while planning to return Artem to sender. No matter how many yard sales the Hansens throw, that won't pay for two kids.

How in the world did the Hansens think ugly cut-bait-and-run stunt, clearly illegal, would help Torry adopt another kid? Or that they'd even get away with it? You can't even pull that off with a cat shelter.

Artur Lookyanov: A First Person Account of Artem's Abandonment

2010-04-12T09:00:00.005-04:00

Artur Lookyanov, the Moscow tour guide, hired by Nancy Hansen to pick up Artem Saveliev/Artem Justin Hansen at Domedovo Airport last week posted a message here yesterday. This morning I found his own long and very detailed account of the event on his webpage Moscow Driver." This is the fullest account of Artem's abandonment so far, and very important reading. It also clears up earlier stories that indicated that Artem was found wandering around the airport by himself. I've been in both Domodedovo and Sheremetyevo Airport Hell myself, and it's nothing adults, much less children, should be subjected to.

Below are excerpts from: Story of Artem Justin Hansen: How I Became Involved in an International Adoption Scandal (Part 1) (Follow link to Part 2 and other details) I suggest you go over to Artur's page and read the entire account.

From Part 1: Email exchange with Nancy Hansen. Booking transportation from airport Moscow city.

Note that in all of our correspondence she never once told me that she would not be the one to meet me at the airport. I was fully convinced that she would be the one meeting me! It was only after our meeting had been confirmed that she sent me more specific details. The e-mail came in the next morning, April 7, 2010 at 8:00 am Moscow time: Hi Arthur: The pick-up on Thursday will be for an 8 year old boy named Artem Hansen. A United Airlines Customer Service Agent will escort him to the hall to meet you (you will need to show ID). The United Airlines customer service agent will hand you an envelope. Inside the envelope are 2 envelopes. One is an envelope for the Ministry of Education, Tverskaya Street, 11, Moscow. The other envelope will be addressed to you. Inside will be your payment in US Dollars. I would like for you to please escort Artem into the Office of the Ministry of Education. If you could please give me your fee for this additional service, I will enclose it in your envelope. Thank you for your time. Warmest regards, Nancy...I was surprised to read this letter, because I was fully convinced that I was supposed to meet Nancy, not the child, but there was no time to think. Then it occurred to me that the boy was probably going to study or returning to school, and this made me feel better. I sent a confirmation and I asked her who I was to meet at the Ministry of Education...

After receiving another email from Nancy Hansen, Artur writes:

...I had no time to respond to this letter. I arrived home from work late that night tired but elated by the fact that the day was so sunny and beautiful, and that my clients were delighted by what they saw and the services I provided. I switched on the computer once again to check mail and read her letter (above). To tell the truth my good mood from the lovely day disappeared. It was too late for me to back out because of the time difference. If I did not meet the child at the airport, he would have been stranded. I work so hard to do everything the right way and to make my clients feel comfortable. I have a lot of great comments and friends from around the world, especially in the U.S. How could I refuse? I would not have survived thinking that the boy was left alone at the airport.

From Part 2: My rude awakening. I learned Artem Hansen had been adopted and was not expected back by the Ministry

We entered the main entrance of the building and I turned to the security guard, asking him to tell the people from the Ministry that we were there. I thought they were expecting us, but he looked at me as if I were crazy. At this point I realized something was terribly wrong. He advised me to call the Ministry directory-inquiry service. No one met us, and I dialed the Ministry directory-inquiry service with trembling hands and a bad premonition. I still did not understand what was happening. I called several different departments but nobody knew anything about Artem. It took us a while call the Department of the State Data Bank, and by this time the SDB employees could tell that I’d become nervous. They decided to come down and investigate. Five minutes later, three women came down to us. I tried to explain the situation to them and we opened the envelope meant for the representative of the Ministry. It contained the sad message which is now well-known. We were all shocked. The note stated that the foster mother of the child, Tory Hansen, refused adoption with regret and explained her reasons. The women of SDB understood the seriousness of the case and asked us to go with them to investigate further.

We proceeded to the department. I did not leave Artem Hansen for a minute, because by now I knew he didn’t speak Russian. I translated the questions he was asked by employees and the boy’s answers. The boy entered the country on a Russian passport, so SDB employees quickly found out where he was from. It turned out that he was adopted by an accredited agency in America from an orphanage in Vladivostok on Sept. 26, 2009. While the boy was drinking tea and eating cake brought by the staff, I told my part of the story. Realizing that I had been deceived I decided to call Nancy Hansen to ask for an explanation. I had her number written on the envelope that I was to deliver to the Ministry. At 14:11 I called Nancy. I asked her to clarify the situation and explain her behavior. There was a long pause; apparently she did not expect me to call. Then she told me she had not wanted to trouble me, and had thought I would not be affected. I gave her the number to the office where Artem and I were, and she spoke to the employee in English. The conversation didn’t last long. Soon they hung up.

Artur says he remained with Artem, even after authorities indicated he was longer needed, until the boy was transfered to the hospital:

Although I had not had anything to eat or drink since early that morning, I felt responsible and nervous for the boy. That is why I asked permission to stay and make sure the boy was ok until he was taken to the hospital. It was now the end of the day and the center of Moscow was paralyzed with traffic jams as usual, so we waited for an ambulance and Mr. Astahov (authorized representative of the President of Child Rights) for a long time. All of us were surprised at how calm the boy was. It had been a very long day without rest, but he continued playing and smiling even in the police department. We enjoyed his warm selflessness; he kept taking his toys from his backpack and offering them to us. He offered me a United Airlines badge. I saw that the boy had two identical badges, and understood that he was giving me this gift from the heart, that he wanted to thank me. So I took his little gift.

Here you can see the picture of this badge.

I am thankful that Artem had Artur on his side at at his back. His devotion to Artem is even more meaningful since his own Forever Family threw him away.

Спасибо, Артур!

Hansen Family Values: Selling Off Artem One Toy at a Time?

2010-04-12T07:05:00.002-04:00

I need to spend today working on Illinois legislative matters, but wanted to get this out first.

A curious little piece on the Hansen family appeared Saturday on WSMV-TV, Nashville: Hansen women regularly held yard sales

When I saw the Google News headline my first thought was "stretching for a story."

Then I read it.

Though the reporter made no connection between last week's yard sale that featured "kids' clothes, toys, car seats and stuff” and Artem's quick departure for Moscow, I can't help but see one. Can you?

On Saturday, neighbors who live beside the women in Bedford County said the family kept to themselves and hardly anyone knew them, but the women did hold weekly yard sales.

Chelby Clark said she even went to a yard sale at the Hansen’s home last week. “The kids may have been running around,” she said.

On Saturday, several long tables were still sitting in the front yard of the Hansen's homes off Highway 41 in El Bethel.

Clark said their sale last week centered around kids' items. She recalled seeing “mainly, a bunch of kids' clothes, toys, car seats and stuff.”

Clark spoke to the women about a car seat. “I asked one lady if she could bring down a price and then she turned around and asked an older lady the same question. The older lady said she said she'd take it down by a couple of dollars,” Clark said.

She didn't notice anything unusual, “But I guess they were just too themselves more,” Clark said.

According to neighbors, yard sales are a common sight at the Hansen's homes.

Angeline Bailey said “they usually they had two a week.”

There was no activity at either house all day Friday and Saturday, and despite cars parked out front, there was no sign of the Hansens.

Neighbor Chelby Clark can't remember for sure, but says "kids may have been running around." If they were, that would probably be Artem and Torry Hansen's biological son, Logan. Now, kids "stuff" is a yard sale staple, but could the Hansens have been selling off Artem's "stuff" right in front of him? Erasing his "stuff" before they erased him?

We don't know the date of this garage sale, but Nancy Hansen, in an ill-advised (for her ) interview with the press said that "they" decided to ship Arem to Ul. Tverskaya on Sunday after he drew of a picture of the house burning down. If the garage sale happened before Sunday it could indicate an earlier decision. If it happened after, but before he was dumped onto the plane, it would indicate that they were selling him off little by little while he watched, though innocent of his soon-to-be fate.

Either scenario is extremely disturbing.

It reminds me of the closing scenes of the "adoption film classic and to me the scariest adoption film ever made, Penny Serenade.

After...oh say...about six weeks of mourning the death by unnamed-exotic-illness of their beloved adopted daughter Trina, (and almost getting a divorce) compassionate adoption agent Beulah Bondi offers Cary Grant and Irene Dunn a replacement. As the film ends, we watch the newly reconciled and once again happy couple paint over Trina's now empty room as if she never existed.

NOTE: For more on a local POV of the Hansens see the New York Times, In Tenn, Reminders of a boy returned to Russia. Of particular interest, since it suggests a pattern we have seen repeatedly in cases of Russian adoptee abuse, is the Hansens' reported self-imposed social isolation:

Several other neighbors said the Hansens seemed somewhat disconnected from the community. The boy appeared to be home-schooled and the family did not go to the churches close by. It was hard to relate when so few details were known, they said, but even if Justin threatened violence, as the Hansens claimed, residents said he should have been dealt with here, not shipped home like a faulty product.

Some here said they were glad the Hansens seemed to be outsiders, or at least newer arrivals — it helped some of the longtime residents disconnect from the satellite trucks and reporters, many of them representing foreign media, that had descended on their neighborhood.

Saveliev/Hansen Case: Torry Hansen a No-Show for "Talk" with Local Sheriff

2010-04-10T22:53:00.004-04:00

Adoptee dumpers Torry Hansen and her mother Nancy finally bought a clue and a real lawyer--and then failed to show up for a sitdown Friday with Bedford County (TN) Sheriff Randall Boyce. Here's the intro to a long article in Saturday's Shelbyville Times-Gazette about his area's international pariahs.

The mother and grandmother of a young adopted Russian boy sent by himself back to Moscow failed to make an appointment they had originally scheduled Friday to talk to Bedford County Sheriff Randall Boyce about the case.

Boyce told media representatives Friday that Torry Hansen would not be showing up at his department, but "may be here sometime next week."

"She called and said her attorney didn't think it was in her best interest at this point ... mainly because of the media being here," Boyce said.

Boyce told the press:

"This is an international deal ... and we're going to handle it a little bit at a time so we don't make a mistake," he said, adding that his department had never dealt with this kind of situation before.

Here is his interview:

Does Sheriff Boyce look like somebody who is flattered to chitchat with State Department and Russian Embassy officials? Does he look like somebody who enjoys a hundred media crews camping out in his town and chasing away "customers?" Does he appear to be somebody who will cut the Hansens slack?

I spent a couple years in South Georgia. Don't judge these good ol' boys by their cover.

Rub-a-Dub-Dub: WACAP Scrubbed from NCFA Membership Page

2010-04-10T16:25:00.006-04:00

Well, this is interesting!

In yesterday's entry on the World Association for Children and Parents involvement in the Artem Saveliev case, posted directly below this, I wrote that WACAP is a member of the adoption trade association the National Council for Adoption. NCFA's membership list, I noted, was not online when I checked right before posting. Actually, I was pretty sure I'd seen the roster a couple days earlier when NCFA's new webpage was launched. It turns out I was right. The membership roster was online. THEN. And it is online. NOW. But not yesterday afternoon, when it appears that a NCFAnoid was busy scrubbing the site clean of WACAP membership.

Super sleuth and longtime NCFA watcher JoAnne Swanson took screen shots of the NCFA Washington State roster before and after the cleansing. (Click on the images below to make them larger). And if you don't believe me, go to today's NCFA membership site.

BEFORE

AFTER

This doesn't mean that WACAP (so far) is gone from NCFA, but that NCFA has sent if off the island to distance itself from their member. WACAP membership, as of this writing, is still posted on the JCICS site.

While we're at it, we were greatly amused by NCFA's press release on the Artem Saveliev/Artem Justin Hansen case; re: its statement on child abandonment (still not online):

"Child abandonment of any kind is reprehensible," says Chuck Johnson, acting CEO of the National Council For Adoption. "The actions of this mother are especially troubling because an already vulnerable, innocent child has been further victimized."

Oops! The country's baby dumping "safe haven" laws, which let parents "legally abandon" newborns with no questions asked, were godfathered by NCFA's founding president the late Bill Pierce while still at NCFA. I guess it's different when its your own. Thanks for the great quote, Chuck! We'll be using it.

Thanks to JoAnne Swanson for permission to post screenshots.

Saveliev/Hansen Agency Identified: World Association for Children and Parents

2010-04-09T12:39:00.051-04:00

The adoption agency that placed Artem Saveliev/Artem Justin Hansen with his Forever Mother Torry Ann Hansen has been identified: WACAP--World Association for Children and Parents working out of Renton, Washington.

And...

Novisti reports that the Russian government has suspended the agency's operations

"We have suspended the permission of the nonprofit corporation World Association for Children and Parents to operate in Russia," Alina Levitskaya told journalists.

The agency assisted in a U.S. couple's adoption of a Russian boy, Artyom Savelyev, who arrived in Russia by plane on Thursday with a note in which his adoptive parents said they were sending him back due severe psychological problems...

A spokeswoman for World Association for Children and Parents in Russia said the adoption agency had no report of the incident. She said the agency would provide all the necessary information on the child's adoption at the request of the Russian authorities.

According to WACAP's International Adoption page

WACAP is proud to be one of the largest and most experienced international nonprofit adoption agencies in the United States. In 1976, WACAP placed its first child for international adoption from Korea. In the 1980s, we expanded our adoption programs to include Thailand and India. WACAP was the first U.S. agency to pioneer adoptions from China and Far East Russia in the early 1990s. In recent years, we have added programs in Ethiopia and Kazakhstan.

WACAPs Russian page tells us:

In 1993, WACAP was the first agency authorized to place children from the Russian Far East with adoptive parents. We have placed over 850 children from Russia since then. We are registered as an international non-governmental organization (NGO) through the Ministry of Justice of the Russian Federation, as required by Russian law, and are accredited by the Russian Ministry of Education to place children from across the Russian Federation. With offices in Moscow and Vladivostok, and 11 employees in Russia, WACAP staff assist families every step of the way through the adoption process. Currently WACAP is placing children from four regions in Russia: the Republic of Tatarstan, Novosibirsk, Primorsky Krai and Sakhalin Island.

Using the Wayback Machine I located old WAPAC webpages. The latest archived page is dated August 22, 2008, a year before Artem was adopted. Under "Waiting Children" we find discounts and deals (via subsidies from unnamed sources) to move various categories of children. If these deals were still on a year later, Artem would have fit into the first discount group: "a boy 5 years or older." We don't know when Torry Hansen started her adoption process with WAPAC, but there's a probability she may have gotten Artem for next to nothing.

WACAP's Let's Make a Deal:
Russia and Kazakhstan Thousands of older children, sibling groups, and children with special needs in Russia and Kazakhstan are waiting for adoption—children who need loving families. Due to confidentiality laws in these countries, information about specific waiting children can only be shared with families who have completed all application materials and been approved to adopt; the process works much like an infant adoption.

Promise Children and Subsidies
To encourage the adoption of waiting children in Russia and Kazakhstan, WACAP has funds available to cover the entire adoption fee for a family who adopts:

A boy 5 years or older, or
A girl 10 years or older, or
A sibling group of two or more boys 3 years and older, or
Two siblings (one boy and one girl) both 5 years and older, or
Three or more siblings with at least one 7 years
of age or older, or
A child who is blind and/or deaf, or
A child with Down syndrome, dwarfism, arthrogyrposis, spina bifida or significant cerebral palsy.

To help find families for children with other types of medical conditions who are waiting in Russia and Kazakhstan, WACAP has reduced the adoption fee to $5,000 for a family who adopts:

A boy 3–4 years of age at time of referral (with special needs), or
A girl 7–9 years of age at time of referral (with special needs), or
Sibling groups of two that include a boy 3–4 or a girl 7–9 (a $3,700 sibling fee applies to siblings below these ages)
A child with missing or shortened limbs, clubfeet, reproductive/urologic condition, significant craniofacial condition, or significant congenital heart disease requiring surgery.

If you're interested in adopting from Kazakhstan, you must be open to children who are Asian, Eurasian or Caucasian. While Russia and Kazakhstan do not identify waiting children until they are matched with an approved family, families usually have information about a child by the time they travel to meet him or her.

Families must submit an Adoption Subsidy Request and a Russia or Kazakhstan Promise Child Agreement, if applicable. Families are considered for the Waiting Child Subsidy only when funds are available. WACAP reserves the sole right to determine which children are eligible for fee subsidies.

With a subsidy of $20,000 and a no-interest loan of $4,500, WACAP offers the most affordable adoptions from Eastern Europe of any agency. For more information about adopting a waiting child or Promise Child from Russia or Kazakhstan, please e-mail Family Finders or call 206-575-4550.

Novisti (and other media) also report today that Russia is set to freeze the US out of adoption:

The Russian foreign minister said on Friday that Russia could freeze child adoptions by U.S. citizens until the countries sign an intergovernmental agreement on adoptions.

Sergei Lavrov (left) told Russia 24 news channel that the agreement should include the conditions under which the Russian authorities can allow adoptions and the obligations of the adoptive parents.

"We have been suggesting [signing an agreement] but they evade this. But I think the latest case is the last straw and we will demand the agreement be signed," Lavrov said.

WAPAC hasn't published a statement yet on it's webpage regarding Artem's case.

WACAP is a member of the National Council for Adoption (membership list currently not online) and JCICS. NCFA issued a press release late this afternoon, but...oops...forgot to mention that WACAP belongs to them. It's not on online yet.

News has been coming in so fast today, I've not had time to finish what I started this morning. I appeared in a 4:00 PM segment of Russian Television. I'm afraid I got tongue-tied. I'm a better writer than a TV pundit.

Artem Saveliev/Artem Justin Hansen: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

2010-04-09T11:02:00.004-04:00

These are "before" and "after" pictures of Artem Saveliev/Artem Justin Hansen. The first picture is of Artem and Forever Mother Torry Ann Hansen taken mid-end September 2009 at his orphanage in Primorye. The second picture is of Artem at Domodedovo Airport, Moscow, April 8, 2010

Here is a picture of the note Forever Mother Torry Ann Hansen sent with her throw-away.

I am writing in depth today, but I wanted to get these pictures up. They're important.

Leavin' on a Jet Plane: Russian Adoptee Dumped on Plane, Sent Back to Russia

2010-04-08T21:19:00.005-04:00

Большое спасибо моим друзьям в Москве Свет и Кайл Китон (Windows to Russia) за эту статью. (Much thanks to my friends in Moscow Svet and Kyle Keeton (Windows to Russia) for this story.

Breaking news out of Russia!

Russian media reports that a 7-year old boy, adopted six months ago by an American couple, is now back in Russia after being "refused" by his Forever Family.

Artem (Artyom) Saveliev, adopted name Artem (Artyom) Justin Hansen, arrived in Moscow last Saturday on a flight from Washington accompanied only by a note from his Forever Mother, Torry Hansen, saying she'd been "mislead" by Russian authorities, the adoption was a "mistake" and she was abandoning--er--I mean, returning him. She asked that the adoption be "disannulled." Artem's situation was discovered at immigration control when he told authorities he had flown in by himself. The note was found in his pocket. You can read it here.

RT Russian Television reports:

That's the letter the boy had with him, where his adopted mother says that she is disappointed, that she is sorry, that she sees that the child is unstable and in order not to ruin her own family, herself and relations with her friends, she wants to give up the child,” [Pavel]Astakhov said. “The American Consul confirms that there is a procedure to give up a child; it's not that easy, it's not a pet that you can take and then give away.”

Artem understands, but does not speak Russian. The boy was handed over to police and a local hospital. His condition is described as "satisfactory."

Prominent Moscow attorney and Presidential Commissioner for the Rights of the Child (Children's Rights Ombudsman) Pavel Astakhov, has spoken with Artem. He told RT that he plans to ask the Russian government to suspend Russian-US adoptions:

We must tighten the control over candidates for international adoption. I will raise this question now as it is possible that we must even suspend American adoptions to clarify how many similar cases we have there,” the Russian official said.

Astakhov, barely containing his disgust, told RT (video, not print) that Artem's orphange records indicate he had no health or psychological problems and was "normal" when he left Russia. He said the boy's adopters decided to make their lives easier by shipping him to Moscow alone rather than following US legal procedures for disrupting an international adoption. Russian authorities have attempted to contact Artem's adopters, but the Forever Family has failed to respond.

Artem was born in Vladivostok, but no other information has been released about him.

According to RT, (no source cited) as late as two weeks ago, the unnamed placing agency reported that Artem was "doing OK." which indicates that the agency and the adopters were in post-placement contact. I've done some preliminary sleuthing on the agency ID, too--so far unsuccessful. No doubt, Torroy Hansen has been scrubbed from its website if she were on it.

Svete and Kyle have linked several Russian and English language news sources about the case on their site. The complete RT video report is here:

How Artem was allowed to travel unaccompanied is another mystery surrounding this case. Was he really "unaccompanied" Could some adult (a Hansen or hired help) have pulled a fast one at the gate in Washington or even gotten on the plane and then breezed on through immigration on arrival? Or maybe an airline just fell down on the job.

Apparently airlines make their own policy on lone child travel, but general rules can be found here. They include:

Most airlines have a minimum age for unaccompanied children, typically five, and a maximum age, typically 12. Children younger than the minimum age have to travel with an adult.

If Artem flew Aeroflot, anything could go, I suppose. All of my really "interesting" flights, in fact, have been on Aeroflot; the most "interesting" between Baku and Moscow where about 25% of the seats were booked by watermelons.

If leaving a kid in a car for 5 minutes while you run into the convenience store for a carton of eggs can constitute child abandonment, certainly putting a 7-year old on an international flight with no authorized adult supervision does, too--especially when the intent to abandon in clear.

We can't wait to hear the Hanson Forever Family's excuse.

When I know more about the situation, I'll post it here.

Ivan Skorobogatov: Another Dead Adoptee

2010-03-16T14:33:00.002-04:00

Mirah Riben, author of The Dark Side of Adoption and The Stork Market appeared on the English language Russian Television (RT) yesterday to discuss international adoption corruption and the death of Russian adoptee Nathaniel Craver, born Ivan Skorobogatov. Vanya, 7, died on August 25, 2009 after being taken off life support. In 2003, he and his twin sister Dasha (now known as Elizabeth) were adopted from an orphanage in Chelyabinsk. His forever family, Michael Craver, 45 and Nanette, 54 Craver have been charged with homicide, conspiracy and child endangerment. The autopsy revealed Vanya suffered 80 external injuries, including 20 to the head. The Cravers are currently being held in the York County Jail with no bond.

The case has been handled very badly by authorities in Carroll Twn, Pennsylvania where the boy lived. This is a big story in Russia and it won't' go away.

I have been collecting information on the case, and have gotten behind in posting due to other work. I'll have something shortly.

ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION SCANDAL YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT: CASEY JOHNSON,

2010-01-11T06:11:00.002-05:00

NOTE: Although this is not about an abused or dead adoptee from Russia or the former SU, it is about adoption corruption in the US and Kazakhstan.

This story should have legs--should run all over AdoptionLand. But will it?

Johnson & Johnson heiress,socialite, wannabe actress, fiancee of attention pig Tila Tequila, and now dead Casey Johnson. left behind a 3-year old adopted daughter acquired in Kazakhstan: Ava-Monroe (after Marilyn).

Parent Dish has the best article on this travesty that I've seen so far: Opinion: Why was Casey Johnson allowed to adopt? Little seems to be known publicly about the adoption, but we can assuredly answer Parent Dish's question: $$$$.

For those unfamiliar with Ms. Johnson and the adoption, here's a rundown from Parent Dish with links left in for your convenience:

The socialite moved in star-studded circles and counted among her best friends Paris and Nicky Hilton. Her lifestyle was far from stable, as revealed by the fact that her mother, Sale, felt it necessary to take custody of Ava, The Huffington Post reports. Just last month, Johnson and her girlfriend, reality TV star Tila Tequila, flew from Los Angeles to New York City in an attempt to regain custody of the child -- and came home empty-handed...

But Johnson's case is different: How is it possible that her wealth and family name outweighed the obvious facts of her life? Reports of her lifestyle offer ample evidence that she was a less-than-ideal adoptive parent. According to one particularly damning story in the New York Daily News, a family friend said Sale Johnson helped her daughter recover from a couple of diabetic comas; Johnson was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes as a child and according to a friend, her "body couldn't metabolize the drugs and alcohol she was using." The Daily News also reports that Johnson has been in and out of rehab for drug problems.

A medical form required by the government of Kazakhstan, lists several diseases that prohibit prospective parents from adopting a child from the country, including alcoholism, drug addiction and toxicomania.

These characteristics of Johnson's life would have presented significant road blocks for an ordinary single woman looking to adopt a child.

We aren't the only ones who question the wisdom of giving Johnson custody of a child. "Casey was probably the last person who should have been taking care of a baby," a family friend tells the News. And Eonline reports that Child Protective Services paid Johnson at least two visits.

Johnson had originally attempted to adopt a Cambodian girl, but the plan fell through when Cambodian adoptions were suspended. Johnson's aunt built an orphanage in Cambodia, and there are conflicting reports about her possible intervention in the adoption plan. After the adoption crash, Johnson's godmother, Diandra Douglas, (Michael Douglas's ex and a whole repro trip herself) who had recently adopted a child from Ukraine gave Johnson the names of adoption agencies to ease her pain. Ava was adopted in 2007.

Here is how the Huffington Post, in a January 6, 2010 article, describes the adoption. Casey's quotes are from a 2007 interview with MTV correspondent SuChin Pak, made before the placement. The interview, in which Johnson sounds like she' playing Barbie house, is linked in the article and also on Parent Dish.

She's the most beautiful baby I've ever seen," Casey said. "She's blond-haired, blue-eyed, looks just like Diandra, and I thought, 'Oh, my gosh! This is what I'm going to do."

Casey got a referral for a Kazakh agency and without hassle was sent a picture of the baby girl she would adopt. "It was the best day of my life," she said about seeing her future daughter's picture. Casey said she didn't plan on spoiling Ava, but wanted to make sure she looked stylish.

"Obviously I want her to look the best that she can the cutest that she can," she said. "So I'm going to buy her a lot of clothes."

Johnson's former girlfriend, Jasmine Lennard, a contestant on the British TV show Make Me a Super Model, if she is to be believed, has as less "romantic" story told in the December 10, 2009 (updated from December 2) issue of the New York Post:

Basically, she got bored of buying herself bags and shoes and bought herself a daughter from Kazakhstan in 2007, but was too crazy to look after her. Her mother, Sale, took Ava and brought her to New York, which is the best place for her.

Casey basically needs to go into rehab for a long time. She has walked out [of treatment programs] twice against her parents' wishes, so they told her no more money. The last time she left early a few months ago and wrote at the bottom of her exit form: '[Bleep] you -- keep the money.'

Whatever, the truth, something went terribly wrong, or more correctly, was never right to begin with.

Ava has been in the care of Johnson's mother, Sale Johnson and her husband, sportscaster and former NFL star Ahmad Rashad, but there are conflicting reports of when they removed the girl from Casey, ranging from late 2009 to 2 years ago. According to Eonline:

She'd [Casey Johnson] see Ava maybe for 10 minutes a day," one source said. "Casey was either sleeping or going out. Nannies really took care of her."

Sale became especially worried in the last year or so as Casey's erratic behavior seemed to worsen, highlighted by her longtime substance-abuse problems and a run-in with the law (she was arrested and charged with grand theft in November). On top of that, Casey made a surprise announcement last month that she and reality-TV personality Tila Tequila were engaged to be married.

There was apparently an unsuccessful attempt to have Casey committed to a mental facility.

The New York Post reported on January 6, 2010 (updated from December 21, 2009), that Casey' father, New York Jets owner Woody Johnson and family members had recently restricted Casey's access to funds, because of her continued refusal to seek help. The Post quoted Jasmine Lennard from its earlier article:

She's been in rehab several times but has never finished the programs....She can't pay her bills, so the electricity was cut off. She can't put gas in her car," said our source. "She's been keeping her Porsche in the garage because she's afraid it will be repossessed.

Lennard who had visited her recently, described Johnson's living conditions:

When I went to her rented house on Mulholland Drive recently, it was like Grey Gardens," our source said. "There are dirty dishes everywhere and rotting food. There is graffiti on the walls. The pool looks like a swamp.

Matters weren't helped with the bizarre December 9, 2009 YouTube announcement from Johnson and Tequila that they intended to marry. From the December 21/January 6 Post:

Tila and Casey announced their engagement this month with a video they posted online of themselves in bed wearing only bras and panties.

As Casey smiles in an apparent stupor, Tequila rants: "Look at this ring. Its 18-carat because my baby is ballin'. We are going to make love tonight for our honeymoon . . . She adopted a baby, Ava, and I love children. We already have a family. We are going to buy a house together and, once we get situated, throw an engagement party

Some time in December 2009, Casey and Tila flew to New Yorik and attempted unsuccessfully to regain physical custody of Ava. According to the Huffington Post:

Casey and Tila Tequila flew out to New York in an attempt to reclaim Ava from Sale but came back empty-handed. Ava remains under her grandmother's care, although other bizarre custody offers have been forthcoming.

The link to those "bizarre custody offers" takes us to a January 5, 2010 HuffPo article:

Casey always made me promise if anything happened to her I would watch over her baby Ava, and with her family's blessing I will honor that promise," she told the magazine.

As if this whole story isn't repulsive enough, shortly before her death, Johnson was charged with grand theft after Lennard accused her of breaking into her home, masturbating in her bed with her (Jasmine's) vibrator, and stealing 600 pages of legal documents and her underwear. (In October, Lisa Marie Alvarez, the girlfriend of another of Johnson's former girlfriends, Courtenay Semel, daughter of former Yahoo bigwig , Terry Semel, set Johnson's hair on fire during a fist fight at Semel's home.

This is adopter material?

How many international adoption agency tragedies and travesties will the US tolerate? As long as big bucks are involved, apparently a lot. We've heard not a peep or even a mild tsk tsk out JCICS or the National Council for Adoption, and the whole story of Casey Johnson being an international adopter has been pretty limited to an afterthought.

It's easy for us to ask:

Who in the world let Casey Johnson adopt Ava?

Who did the home study?

How did a young single woman with obvious and major health, substance abuse, and untreated mental problems get past the so-called gatekeepers?

What agency was Ava siphoned through?

We don't know the answer to who and what, but as I said above, we all know that answer to how and why" $$. Like Matthew Mancuso who walked in and wrote a fat check for Masha Allen, Casey Johnson was allowed a free pass to purchase the blond, blue-eyed look-alike to play house with.

I have been unable to find a list of agencies working in Kazakhstan when Ava was adopted. If evidence of the adoption appeared on any agency website, though, it has certainly been scrubbed by now. Perhaps there are readers who have a lead. If so, please let me know.

I won't hold my breath for the Kazakh government to file a complaint or demand an inquiry with the State Department, Money talks and bullshit walks and bullshit reigns supreme in Kazakhstan. At least it did when I lived in Russia.

I hope this story doesn't die. Everybody is all caught up in the celebrity death ritual and Tila Tequila' reprehensible attempt to make it all about her. Reportedly, Tila has claimed she wants to take care of Ava (ha!), but has been mostly busy Tweeting suicide threats, whining about Nicky Hilton (Ava'a godmother) and Bijou Phillips clearing out Tila's home of Johnson's dogs and belongings, and being outraged at being excluded from the funeral. Oh, and now she says she's pregnant, a surrogate for her brother and his wife. If you can stomach it, here's Tequila's Twitter account.

According to reports, Ava is "well-adjusted" (if so, probably due to the heroic work of those unnamed nannies and the intervention of Sale Johnson) and always well dressed. The picture on the left of her and Sale Johnson appeared in the September 9 issue of New York Social Diary. She looks happy. I hope so.

Casey Johnson was a rich, sad, disturbed woman in desperate need of help. Instead, she was allowed to adopt a little girl. It didn't make it all better.

SMALL MASHA UPDATE

2010-01-08T07:52:00.000-05:00

This week James Marsh has published two blogs about Masha Allen's case:

PA's lax judicial oversight in the Masha Allen case :

During the past four years numerous questions have been raised about how and why then-Allegheny County Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen was allowed to preside over the adoption of Masha Allen by her namesake and former roommate Faith Allen.

Includes links Marsh's documents regarding Masha (Have a strong stomach and a crash helmet on while reading.)

Masha Allen's celebrated adoption--What went wrong?, a collection of quotes from the the media and public figures who supposedly stood in Masha's corner, including this from Cong. Phil Gingrey (above left with Masha and Faith Allen's Angel in Adoption co-sponsor):

Faith Allen is a shining example of the selfless love adoptive parents give their children. Faith is more than just Masha’s adoptive mother; she is her pillar of support, providing encouragement as Masha bravely shares her story. Everyone who spends time with Faith and Masha feels the warmth and kindness that make Faith an Angel in Adoption.”

Gingrey hung Marsha out to dry when allegations of abuse by Faith were made known to him. To quote Marsh, Gingrey claimed it was a "'parental rights issue'" and related that Masha was a 'bad kid' who was 'causing trouble' for her 'loyal and dedicated' award-winning foster-adopt mom Faith Allen."

I don't want to reinvent the wheel. Go over to Pound Pup Legacy and read Niel's extensive Masha Page. Currently there is a very informative discussion posted under The untold story of Masha Allen.. Though originally posted last fall, this entry it has recently picked up speed. If you read nothing else about Masha read this one.

When will Masha have justice?

C NOBYM GODOM - 2010

2010-01-01T00:01:00.001-05:00

Very little was posted here this year. We hope that indicates that the abuse and murders of Russian adoptees has greatly decreased. This is the longest period of time in several years in which no deaths were reported (that we know of). But we remain diligent.

We have found no update on the Brian Dale Dykstra case (birth name unknown), which is now nearly 4 1/2 years old. We, do however, have an update on at least one other case, which we'll write and post next week.

Although we doubt Masha Allen will ever have "closure" (what a phony and misleading word!) we do hope that with her federal case on track, and with Faith Allen out of the picture, she can at least move forward.

Masha, we are with you!

Here is a classic Russian cartoon from 1975 to bring in the new year. You don't have to understand Russian to get the message.

MASHA ALLEN TERMINATED AGAIN! FAITH ALLEN WALKS AWAY

2009-12-30T15:03:00.001-05:00

BIG news on Masha Allen (born Mariya Nikolaevna Yashenkova) tonight.

On December 3, 2009 Faith Allen's parental rights were been terminated! Masha is once more an "orphan." Twice adopted. Twice terminated.

Custody was returned to Cambria County Children and Youth Services. Masha's whereabouts and physical and emotional well-being are unknown.

Masha's newest attorneys Francis P. Maneri and Darren Summerville have filed a motion in the US District Court for the District of New Jersey to appoint Masha's current Pennsylvania State guardian ad litem, Timothy J. Sloan, as her new representative party in the Federal complaint.

From the language of the motion, it appears Faith Allen (right) terminated her parental rights voluntarily and walked out the door. If I learn more I will post it here.

We hope that this new development marks the beginning of justice for Masha, though no amount of money can ever compensate her seemingly never-ending abuse, pain, neglect, and exploitation at the hands of Matthew Mancuso, Faith Allen, the adoption industry, venal courts, social workers, and politicians. We hope Timotohy Sloan does right by her. As I wrote a few years ago, Masha is "the Rosetta Stone of corrupt international adoption."

Links to other sites covering Masha:
Pound Pup Legacy: Masha Allen Page (many links to resources including an expose of grifter Allen)
Child Law Blog, James Marsh
Baby Love Child (use search engine)

also see Congressional Hearing: Exploitation of Children on the Internet: Follow-up Issues on the Masha Allen Adoption

The entire motion can be found on Marsh's blog. I am re-typing relevant parts below.

MASHA ALLEN, by her, Parent and
Guardian FAITH ALLEN, Plaintiff,

v

FAMILIES THRU INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION
INC. , Defendants,

and

FAMILIES THRU INTERNATIONAL
ADOPTION, INC., Third Party Plaintiff,

v

ADAGIO HEALTH, INC. (formerly
known as Family Health Council, Inc, and
trading as Family Adoption Center, Third
Party Defendant

Civil Action NO:
08-4614 (JHR)(AMD

PLAINTIFF'S MOTION TO
AMEND/SUBSTITUTE/ADD
PARTIES

Motion Returnable: February 1,
2010

...By law, Masha is legally incompetent to maintain a lawsuit. At the outset of this litigation, the proper representative party Plaintiff was Faith Allen, Masha's adoptive parent. Factually and legally Faith Allen's ability to maintain this lawsuit has changed, necessitating this Motion. Plaintiff respectfully asks that this court allow amendment of the pleadings to reflect a new representative party Plaintiff, Timothy J. Sloan. Mr. Sloan has been and continues to be Masha's guardian ad litem based upon a pending action in the Juvenile Court in the Cambria County, Pennsylvania Court of Common Please ("Juvenile Court").

Alternatively, under Rule 17(s) Plaintiff asks that this Court appoint Mr. Sloan as a guardian ad litem in this matter, to prosecute the litigation in Masha's Allen's best interests.

1. Faith Allen is No Longer Masha Allen's Proper Representative

Faith Allen, as Masha Allen's Parent and Guardian, initiated this litigation on September 15, 2008...On or about August 18, 2009, Faith Allen freely and voluntarily executed a consent to adoption with respect to Masha pursuant to 23 Pa C.S.A. 2711. Because Faith Allen did not revoke this consent to adoption within the statutorily allowed 30-day revocation period, it became irrevocable subject to narrow exceptions The Orphan's Court with jurisdiction over the matter has now terminated Faith Allen's legal rights as a parent to Masha Allen. Dec. 3 Order of the Court...

For several years Masha Allen has been subject to the jurisdiction of the Juvenile Court division of the Common Please Court. As part of these proceedings, attorney Timothy J. Sloan was appointed and has continuously served as her guardian ad litem. These proceedings remain open and Mr. Sloan remains Masha's guardian ad litem.

Plaintiff's counsel has explained the status of the present litigation to Mr. Sloan who has agreed, pending this Court's permission, to serve as Masha Allen's party representative going forward. Plaintiff respectfully requests such relief.

II. Amended Under Rule 15 is Necessary and Proper.

Leave to amend should be freely given when justice requires. Fed R. Civ P 15(a))s). Plaintiff Masha Allen asks that leave be granted to amend the pleading to reflect Timothy Sloan becoming Plaintiff's party representative as her guardian ad litem. Such and amendment has become necessary give the legal impossibility of going forward in this matter with the current party representative, Faith Allen.

Faith Allen's parental rights, including the right to serve as Masha Allen's legal representative have been terminated. Masha Allen , a minor, cannot bring this lawsuit in her individual capacity. Rule 17, of course, allows an unrepresented minor to sue through her guardian ad litem. Fed. R Civ.p 17(c). Mr Sloan has been Masha Allen's guardian in a different litigation for yearsw, and is well situated to represent her interests in this matter. ...

...Faith Allen's actions have effectively stranded Masha Allen in this litigation, as Faith is no longer a proper party representative. But Mr. Sloan is, either in his current capacity or as appointed by the Court....

POUND PUP LEGACY: MASHA ALLEN UPDATE AND WEBPAGE

2009-10-21T14:29:00.002-04:00

Niels at Pound Pup Legacy has put up a tremendous page on Masha Allen. The page is a 1-stop resource for activists, researchers, adoption reformers, and media who have been following the case. I was aware of some of these new developments, but hadn't had the time to write about them. Other developments are new to me.

Kudos to Niels--and those who continue to care about Masha and continue to fight!

And may those "adoption professionals," child welfare "experts" and courts who betrayed Masha burn in hell.

S NOVYM GODOM!--HAPPY NEW YEAR

2009-01-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

There's nothing like ringing in the new year with the classic Soviet New Year's film The Carnival Night. Made in 1956, the film is shown each year at New Year's on Russian television.

For the uneducated (which is about everybody west of the Baltic Sea) here is a synopsis of this great film:

It is the New Year's Eve and the employees of an Economics Institute are ready with their annual New Year's entertainment program. It includes a lot of dancing, singing, and even magic tricks. Suddenly, an announcement is made that a new director has been elected and that he is arriving shortly. Comrade Ogurtsov arrives in time to review and disapprove of the scheduled entertainment. To him, holiday fun has a different meaning. He imagines speakers reading annual reports to show the Institute's progress over the year, and, perhaps, a bit of serious music, something from the Classics, played by the Veterans' Orchestra.

Obviously, no one wants to change the program a few hours before the show, much less to replace it with something so boring! Now everyone has to team up in order to prevent Ogurtsov from getting to the stage. As some of them trap Ogurtsov one way or another, others perform their scheduled pieces and celebrate New Years.

Here is the show stopper performed by legendary Lyudmila Gurchenko in her first leading role.

If you can't get enough of this, go to the trailer. (The clip above is included in it). Everything about this film rocks: the apparatchik, the songs, the sets, the costumes, the dancers, the music. The best big band show I've ever seen starts at 4:48. Even if you don't know Russian, you can get the idea easy. Just think: hey kids. Let's put on a show.

С Новым Годом
S Novym Godom!
Happy New Year

DMITRY YAKOLEV/CHASE HARRISON: A FEW WEEKEND UPDATES

2008-12-20T18:10:00.005-05:00

NOTE: I want to thank the hundreds of Russian-language readers who are reading Bastardette and Nikto Ne Zabyt regarding Dima. . Thank you very much for your friendship and support and caring about adopted Russia's adopted children in the US.

******

MORE RUSSIAN REACTION
I still can find no official statement regarding the Harrison verdict on the Russian Embassy or the Foreign Ministry pages.

A press release from the Ministry of Education and Science is now on the ministry's English-language page:

Excerpt:
The justificatory verdict casts doubt on effectiveness and reliability of the protection of adopted children's rights system in the USA and will result in toughening the requirements to Russian children's adoption by USA citizens. We must be sure that our children's rights are entirely protected in this country; and if a tragic incident happens, even because of an action by accident, severe punishment will be inevitable", - stressed A. Levitskaya.

WUVR: Voice of Russia Broadcasting (English)
December 18, 2008 (English)
US Adoption System in Need of Review

Excerpt:
The Virginia Court’s decision went virtually unnoticed in the US media, but it was give high prominence in Russia’s media which overwhelmingly deplored the court’s ruling... This horrible case prompts obvious questions. How could a grow-up person believed to be in his right mind could be so careless as to leave an infant in mortal danger even for a minute? And if the man isn’t in his right mind, how was it possible for his family to adopt a child in the first place?

Russia Today (English)
December 18, 2008
Moscow outraged over adopted Russian boy manslaughter

Excerpt:
Russian Foreign Ministry says it's outraged by the decision to clear Miles Harrison, who left the baby in a car during blazing summer heat.

Due to spacing problems, I am posting the English-language video news report that goes with this article at the bottom of this entry.

MORE AMERICAN RESPONSE
Over at the Washington Post there's a civilized discussion about Marc Fisher's column Why Was Father of Who Killed Son in Car Acquitted? AND a survey on the verdict. As I write this, only 51% disagree with Judge Ney and the acquittal.

Excerpt:
As much as the father has suffered, and as much as he proved in court that he truly did love and adore that boy, Judge Terrence Ney's decision unjustly fails to hold Harrison accountable for his negligence. Just because someone who does wrong feels terribly about his misdeed does not absolve the justice system of its responsibility to hold all of us to a standard of decent behavior... and

It's hard for me to see how anyone, parent or not, could conclude that leaving a child unattended for a full day in a steamy hot car--essentially forgetting about the existence of the life that you have been entrusted with protecting and cherishing--could be chalked up to accident.

One Response:
Outrageous, but not surprising. Take this scenario and change the economic circumstances of the parents to poor or working class. Or change the social characteristics to or black. There would have been a different decision. Judges don't like to punish people who they perceive as good, except for one 'mistake.' The law is interpreted favorably for the 'right' kind of people. The 'wrong' kind of people know this, which explains their low opinion of and trust in the justice system.

IT'S ABOUT ADOPTION
Finally, Baby Love Child has written a tremendously important blog on why the Harrison case IS about adoption: Dmitry's Death and Miles Harrison's Acquittal, Part II, The American Reaction. . Part 3 just went up, but I haven't had a chance to read it yet.

She has quoted part of it in her comment posted on my previous blog, but I want to put an excerpt here:

...the American audience fails to understand the important responsibilities an adoptive couple take on when they sign on to adopting a child. Perhaps the primary difference between a child in an adoptive situation and children born to their parents is that adoptive families are on some level (allegedly at least) vetted. They have agreed to take on the task of raising a child that is not biologically their own. They have had to prove that they will make “fit” parents to the child that will eventually come to be placed with them. When they sign the adoption papers, they have intentionally taken on the responsibility for that child. Add in the international adoption component, in the case of Russian adoptees, they retain their Russian citizenship, and what you have is essentially, an American couple that has jumped through enough hoops as to agree to take on not only raising a child who is not their own flesh and blood, but is additionally a citizen of another country. This carries with it many responsibilities, above and beyond what biological parents face. Be that reporting obligations back to the country of origin, or obligations to be attentive, and to provide safety and security. Adoptive parents sign their names to promises pertaining to the ongoing disposition and welfare of the child they are adopting.

******

It is clear that Moscow isn't happy and intends to take a hard line on this judicial miscarriage. The Russian government and the media are watching and reporting on the case carefully including the apparent non-interest outside the Beltway. (Obviously, if the Harrisons had lived somewhere else and weren't Washington Somebodies, WDC wouldn't be paying much attention either. (ex: The recent Emelyantsev case in Utah). I expect to see repercussions from this American folly that go way beyond adoption. US officials have used international adoption in the past as leverage to push other countries around, but this time, they might just get a kick in the pants back.

By the way, there has been no comment from European Adoption Consultants, who handled the adoptions of Chase and Logan Higginbotham (scroll down) and who ended up dead when her forever mother cracked her skull open on a bedroom wall.l But they sure have been reading what I have to say about them.

ADDENDA: December 20, 6:30 PM: I no sooner posted this entry when a story from WJLA-TV came through, Adoptive Parents Worry After Loudon Man is Acquitted in Son's Death. It should be titled Adoption Industry and Adoptive Parents Worry... The usual ME ME ME with absolutely no comprehension of what went down at Fairfax Courthouse or a care for Dima. The article has a link to the video, which has much more impact than the written story.

Russia Today Video:

HARRISON VERDICT: A GROWING "INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT"

2008-12-18T23:08:00.005-05:00

NOTE: For a complete listing of my entries on the Dmitry Yakolev/Chase Harrison case go to "labels" in the right sidebar and click on "Dmitry Yakolev" or "Chase Harrison." The same articles are archived under both names. Also, for international readers, at the top of this page is a link to the Reverso translator.

Over the last couple days some commenters have observed that the Yakolev/Harrison case is not so much about adoption, but a sad commentary on American life: that a child, adopted or not, can be forgotten in a hot car and die, while parents go about their hectic lives forgetting what they did with him or her. In a general sense, I don't disagree with this. The dead baby in the hot/cold car is largely an American phenomenon. In fact, I wrote in my previous blog:

Yet Dima, who died in part, because of the wacky American consumer lifestyle, deserves justice, which has not been served him. Privileged workaholic exburanites do not always good parents make, even with their open checkbooks.

Russia, however, doesn't view Dima's death as an American lifestyle dysfunction. The verdict is viewed instead as an American adoption dysfunction and a miscarriage of justice that calls into question the status and rights of adopted children--Russian citizens-- in the US. For some, the argument extends to all children adopted and living in the US.

Earlier today I wrote about the Russian reaction and one implication to the verdict--a toughened post-placement policy for US adopters. But things have heated up considerably since this afternoon. Ministries and the Russian press have ramped up the attack I suggest you go to my previous blog as background and then come back here.

Here is the update.

Pravda via ITAR-Tass, under the headline US man who made adopted son die terrible death in hot car found not guilty, quotes Russian Embassy press secretary Yevgeny Khorishko:

It is an open secret that US courts often use exemption law in their practice. This is exactly the reason why Miles Harrison avoided a prison term. The Supreme Court of the State of Virginia ruled in 1930 that a person, who incidentally murders another person, even if he or she can be accused of negligence, shall not be considered a criminal if his or her negligence is not the consequence of complete disdain for human life...

We suggest the US authorities should appeal against the blatant ruling, which relieves the murderer of the juvenile Russian citizen of responsibility. The unfair verdict must be revised...

We do not understand, what was guiding the judge when he found no formal element of a crime in the actions of the adoptive father and relived him of punishment. We know how strict US laws are when it comes to the protection of children’s rights. In this case, however, we do not understand the gentleness, which the judge showed to the man, who had left the little boy locked up in his car to die a terrible death in sweltering summer heat.

Stronger criticism comes from the Russian Foreign Ministry. The complete statement does not appear yet on the Foreign Ministry English-language webpage, but excerpts were quoted in today's Loudoun (Virgina) Times which went online tonight: Not guilty verdict of Purcellville man could become international incident

The child, originally named Dmitry Yakolev and later re-named Chase Harrison, was adopted from Russia at a cost to the Harrisons of about $80,000. At the time of his death the toddler was still a Russian citizen, according to the Russian Embassy.

"He would have remained a Russian citizen until he reached legal age, at which time he could renounce his citizenship if he chose," said Yevgeniiy Khorishko, press secretary for the Russian Embassy in Washington, DC. "It is just awful that the person who killed this child has been pardoned," Khorishko added.

On Dec. 18, Russia's Foreign Ministry condemned Harrison's acquittal in an official statement, "We are deeply angered by the verdict of the Fairfax County Court in Virginia. We consider it to be repulsive and unprecedented, even if in this case--unlike in others--it was criminal negligence thqt led to a tragic outcome, rather than deliberate ill-treatment. The decision of the judge, who did not see the crime in Harrison's actions and released him without penalty, goes beyond any legal and moral framework," it stated.

And here is a report from The Moscow Times, December 19, 2008: Tough new rules for adoptive US parents featuring Alina Levitskaya from the Ministry of Education and Science and State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov:

Russia tightened controls over adoptions a few years ago after several children died at the hands of U.S. parents, and Wednesday's acquittal will lead to a further clampdown, said Alina Levitskaya, head of the Education and Science Ministry's child welfare department. The verdict "casts doubts" on adopted children's rights in the United States and "will lead to a tightening of requirements for the adoption of Russian children by U.S. citizens," Levitskaya said in a statement on the ministry's web site...

Yevgeny Khorishko, spokesman for the Russian Embassy in Washington, said U.S. authorities should appeal the "grievous court ruling acquitting the murderer of an infant Russian citizen," Interfax reported.

State Duma Speaker Boris Gryzlov said he was "disturbed" by the verdict and that Russia should do everything in its power to make adoption a more attractive option for Russian families. "We need Russian children to stay in Russia," Gryzlov told Interfax.

The article also describes domestic adoption practices and policies.

The Harrison verdict is intimately linked to adoption.
Tonight NCFA tried out some damage control: National Council for adoption calls for calm and rational response to Harrison verdict. Acting NCFA president Chuck Johnson acknowledges that it may be difficult to "accept the verdict as appropriate and just,"

but

NCFA encourages a calm and rational response to the verdict, and hopes that the Russian government will continue to work with the United States government and the American adoption community to keep the adoption process between Russia and the United States transparent, safe and successful for the benefit of thousands of Russian-born children. Those who would suffer most from a disruption of Russian adoptions are the thousands of innocent orphans who otherwise would have been adopted into loving American homes.

In other words, things don't look too good! Don't call us; we'll call you!

BLOGGER ALERT: Johnson's statement included this most hilarious quotable NCFA quote since Dr. Pierce darkened its door:

Let me assure the international community that adoptive parents in the United States have the same responsibilities to their adopted children as do biological parents to their biological children.

Dima's death is about adoption, though Americans, too close to the issue, don't see it.
The acquittal is fast becoming a cause celebre. Since yesterday's verdict I've received hundreds of hits on both The Daily Bastardette and Nikko Ne Zabyt. Many of them from Russia (St. Petersburg, Moscow, Tula, Smolensk, Kazan, Krasnodar, Novosibirsk, Spasskova, Tyumen, Yekaterinburg,), Ukraine (Lviv, Kiev, Kharkov ,Krivoy Rog, Simferopol), Lithuania, Estonia, Latvia, Israel, Hungary, Denmark, and Slovenia. I've had over 200 hits from a Russian discussion group on Live Journal. My next project is to try to translate the discussion.

ADDENDA: December 21, 2008, 1:55 PM: I learned as per the comment below that the discussion group which I referred to is actually the blog of Russia's most famous science fiction writer Sergey Lukyanenko, and that he has been writing about the case. I hope this blog and the identical entries which appear on The Daily Bastardetete, have been helpful to him and his readers. I'm honored! Thanks.

NIKTO NE ZABYT -- NICHTO NE ZABYTO

С Новым годом

Дед Мороз и Снегурочка

Ivan Skorobogatov: Cravers Lose Appeal

Masha Allen Discussion

Russian Adoptee Reported Murdered in Canada

UPDATE: THE RUSSIAN ADOPTED DEAD: A REVIEW OF KILLERS AND SENTENCES

Vanya Skorbogatov. Cravers ask for new trial; want custody of Dasha

More Problems for Russian-US Adoption Relations: Russians claim they only learned of Dkystra case after the trial

Ivan Skorobogatov: Investigative Committee Rejects Court Ruling; Intends to Continue Craver and Possibly Other Prosecutions

Ivan Skorobogatov. Russian Court and Prosecutors Refuse to Issue Warrant for Michael and Nanette Craver; Vanya Victim of "RAD" Quackery?

Ivan Skorobogatov Update: Cravers Aren't Talking; But Lawyer Is

Ivan Skorobogatov Update: Russians Say Cravers Placed on INTERPOL Wanted List; Couple Will Be Tried In Absentia Next Week

Artyom Savelyev Update: Trial Open to the Public; Artyom Added as Plaintiff!

Ivan Skorobogatov/Nathniel Craver Update: Killers Walk

Brian Dykstra Acquitted in Death of Adopted Son Ilya KargyntsevI/saac Dyskra

Update on Artyom Saveliev: Attempt to Exclude Media Postpones Hearing

Update on Artyom Savelyev: World Association of Children and Parents v Torry Hansen gets January trial date, hearing today

Long Awaited Dykstra Trial to Start October 24

Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Jonathan Dykstra Update: Trial date to be announced soon

Ilya Kargyntsev/Isaac Jonathan Dykstra Update

Ivan Skorobogtov/Nathaniel Craver Update

No Justice for Masha: Part 937

Liam Thompson/Dmitry Sergeyvich Islankulov Update: Liam's Sister

Ilya Kargyntsev/saac Dykstra Update: Brian Dykstra Waives Right to Speedy Trial

UPDATE: APRIL 22, 2010

The Weird World of Torry Hansen: An Accusation from Hayfork

JCICS Attempts to Flood 'Net and Russia with "Positive Adoption Stories"

Russia Freezes Adoptions to US

The Weird World of Torry Hansen: An Incident

Getting Weirder and Weirder: New Developments in the Saveliev/Hansen Case

Nancy/Torry Hansen Lawyer Identified: And No! That's Not the Advice She Gave!

Artur Lookyanov: A First Person Account of Artem's Abandonment

Hansen Family Values: Selling Off Artem One Toy at a Time?

Saveliev/Hansen Case: Torry Hansen a No-Show for "Talk" with Local Sheriff

Rub-a-Dub-Dub: WACAP Scrubbed from NCFA Membership Page

Saveliev/Hansen Agency Identified: World Association for Children and Parents

Artem Saveliev/Artem Justin Hansen: A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Leavin' on a Jet Plane: Russian Adoptee Dumped on Plane, Sent Back to Russia

Ivan Skorobogatov: Another Dead Adoptee

ANOTHER INTERNATIONAL ADOPTION SCANDAL YOU WON'T HEAR ABOUT: CASEY JOHNSON,

SMALL MASHA UPDATE

C NOBYM GODOM - 2010

MASHA ALLEN TERMINATED AGAIN! FAITH ALLEN WALKS AWAY

POUND PUP LEGACY: MASHA ALLEN UPDATE AND WEBPAGE

S NOVYM GODOM!--HAPPY NEW YEAR

DMITRY YAKOLEV/CHASE HARRISON: A FEW WEEKEND UPDATES

HARRISON VERDICT: A GROWING "INTERNATIONAL INCIDENT"