AMREX: Zakharova, Zasyatkin & Kellogg
Tracy Kellogg took a cheap shot by bad mouthing us to Automne Heather. What else was new in the backstabbing world of international adoptions? Her comments to Automne were proof our investigations had an impact on Amrex. Uncovering information about Amrex from public information and disseminating it to other interested parties has paid off. The accumulative affect over the years was palpable. One revelation after another, a few families complaints to the MOE in Moscow, and one determined Russian attorney getting the truth out, put a damper on Amrex’s free-for-all in Moscow, Alpharetta and Atlanta and on Sergey Zasyatkin and Marina Zakharova's housing boom. It led to Amrex's demise.
Tracy’s comments to Automne were obnoxious, without compassion and entirely self-serving. She had some nerve. Why had she continued to work for a child-brokering organization whose bosses had no souls or consciences? Obviously to Tracy Kellogg, it doesn't matter. As long as paychecks cleared and PAP's money headed her way, what was it to her. It wasn't her money - only thousands of dollars ripped off from Amrex clients — and agencies.
In spring of 2006, Amrex began to reduce their profile. The phone numbers of two Amrex-founded companies, Transparent Systems and Hague Software, were disconnected. Hague, in fact, was dissolved. Transparent Systems ceased to exist later. Websites were taken down or vastly scaled back. Amrex’s employees were told to work from their homes. The company’s offices were moved from Alpharetta to Atlanta. Their telephone number, 678-393-7100, which used to be answered by a real person, led to a voicemail which does not identify who you reached (The last time we checked, July 17, 2006, a voice said the box was full. We called again on November 9 and an answering machine kicked on, asking the caller to leave a message).
According to the Atlanta Better Business Bureau, the company is out of business. Yet the Georgia Secretary of State’s office showed Amrex’s current “AR” as being paid on May 22, 2006. Sergey Zasyatkin, former address was listed as 298 Clipper Bay in Alpharetta, GA. He was listed as the new registered agent. Other corporations, save Hague, were listed as still being active … in fact, International Advocates for Children (formerly known as Inter-Country Adoption Congress) fees were paid on April 2. By the end of 2006, though, IAC became World Initiatives for Orphans and that organization separated itself entirely from Amrex and its members.
Genesis Adoptions, their other non-profit, was up-to-date but went under nonetheless. Lauren Bobis, a name associated with Genesis Adoptions for many years and its Executive Director, left the agency high and dry once the bankruptcy was declared.
We believe Ethan’s death had repercussions for Amrex beyond Astrakhan. Rumors of a class-action suit began to swirl against Amrex. That has turned out to be, at this point, false. We wonder what is happening on the Russian end (the company successfully placed children from Blagoveschensk in April 2006). It's been said their facilitators have not been paid. We found out from a reliable source that Valiko Meunargia (Val from Moscow)
is now working as Beacon House's accredited representative in Moscow. Seems that once the Amrex ship changed owners, Val took the helm.
The bomb dropped on September 21, 2006 when Sergey Zasyatkin declared Chapter 11. A meeting took place at the Bankruptcy Court in Atlanta on Monday, October 23 where Amrex claimed only $8,000 remained in its accounts. Its member agencies (and by extension their clients) were owed over $2 million.
Building Blocks Adoption Service, Inc. is among the major creditors. Documents from the Bankruptcy Court show BBAS was owed $240,100. We learned from a credible source Denise was soliciting clients for her Russian program. At that time, she could not account for her Amrex clients’ money — she would say Beacon House one minute, the next say Amrex, but the money could not be returned. BBAS had the third-highest accounts receivable behind Genesis Adoptions and International Family Services. See further discussion of how Building Blocks is handling this issue.
The biggest shocker was Serg and Marina's divorce. Serg put his Alpharetta home — 298 Clipper Bay — on the market for a cool $549,900. Marina Zakharova's home located in Atlanta at 1664 Lenox Road, was also on the market for $250,000 more — $799,900 to be exact. Both Serg and Marina maintained the same Realtor. It’s rumored Serg abandoned his home and his bank foreclosed. One can only imagine the hefty commission the realtor received on Zakharova's home.
Meanwhile, the children that Amrex professed to care so much about in Russia, Kazakhstan and Guatemala, live in cold misery.
The above never stopped Marina Zakharova from setting up her own adoption entity. On January 3, 2006, at least eight months before Amrex declared bankruptcy, an LLC was incorporated in Georgia. H. Grady Thrasher IV, the current Amrex attorney used for its nasty grams to pesky clients, incorporated the entity. Mr. Thraser IV is employed by the Atlanta law firm Whitley, Hampton & Morgan — claiming to provide legal services “and representation with high ethical standards”). Its name is JAIN Network. JAIN stands for "Joint Adoption Information Network".It is redolent of Amrex itself. JAIN congers up the JCICS. We have heard Marina is soliciting adoption agencies for JAIN, but cannot verify if any agencies are now using JAIN for referrals. We sincerely hope Denise Lynn Harding-Hubbard and Richard J. Marco, Jr. are not going to use this organization for Russia. Then again, we are talking about BBAS here.
Another interesting thing about JAIN. We were tipped off that the ICAR - InterCountry Adoption Registry's URL (www.adoptachild.org) is now owned by JAIN. As of February 22, 2007, ICAR was no longer independent. It was back in Zakharova's hands.
But Zakharova isn't just in the for-profit child business. Come now! A woman of her considerable talents, mysterious demeanor and lovely Slavic charm is worth much more to the world than a simple child broker. She's also a decorator, an artist and wants to show everyone how to implement beauty into their lives at her show room-like house on Monroe Drive in Atlanta which shares the same address as JAIN. Therefore, she incorporated a lifestyle organization called “Le Bam Decor"”.
It’s difficult to describe what Le Bam Decor does or why — weddings, decorating, parties - you have to click on the link to believe it. Persons who work close to Le Bam have said Marina is trying to turn the place into a nightclub. The name “Marina Zakharova” is obviously too Russian for her discerning clientele. So, she goes under the more Francophile name of “Mariz Bissette” as Le Bam’s “Creator of VISUAL PHILOSOPHY”. Where does the adoption end fit in?
Astute readers will not want to miss out on Le Bam's upcoming attractions. People, we just can’t make this stuff up. It absolutely cannot be fabricated. Who could have created this charade?
***
From September to October 2002, we exchanged email with Tracy Kellogg about adoption agencies. She may or may not remember this. But we saved those emails. Here they are posted on this site for public reading.
When the correspondence began, we were unaware it was unknown to us she was associated with Amrex. We speculate she had been hired as their P.R. person. As a good P.R. person, she spun for her employer. She found out what was said about Amrex in private email exchanges, and in turn, trashed out other adoption agencies.
Tracy’s first posts appeared in August 2002 on FRUA and the Russian Yahoo! Group.
The following posts were made to the Russian Yahoo! group using the now-defunct email address tdkellogg@mindspring.com She began by denigrating the Frank Foundation:
Post # 11527
From: "kelloggtracy" <tdkellogg@...>
Date: Fri Aug 23, 2002 12:24 pm
Subject: Frank Adoption AgencyIs it dangerous to begin a Russian Adoption with Frank Adoption Agency at this time? Could they be in danger of losing their accreditation with Russia over the Higier murder case that occured in
MA? Following is a link for an article in the Patriot Ledger on Aug.
http://ledger.southofboston.com/archives/index.inn?
loc=detail&doc=/2002/August/17-1486-news01.txtPost #11539
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@...>
Date: Sun Aug 25, 2002 12:32 pm
Subject: Re: [Russian_Adoption] Frank Adoption CenterHi,
Thanks for the information. I'm trying to collect as much information as I can from people who have had dealings with this and other agencies. It just seems that Frank could be responsible on some level. I have also since found many complaints through other boards/resources that made me wonder about this agency.
Thanks again for you opinion.
Post #11869From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@...>
Date: Mon Sep 16, 2002 5:33 am
Subject: Re: [Russian_Adoption] Looking for beginner informationHi Erin,We are in the beginning stages of choosing an agency and region to adopt. I found the following websites to be most helpful...ICAR - www.adoptachild.orgEEAC - www.eeadopt.orgThe adoption guide - www.theadoptionguide.comwww.littlemiracles.orgThese will direct you to other helpful sites as well.
Wasn’t she the clandestine operative? That last post was a hoot. The ICAR site’s URL had been donated from Amrex (now it's JAIN). And the last site was an Amrex agency — Little Miracles.
The Case - Kellogg correspondence began in August 2002, in response to a FRUA post she’d made. She posed as Pre Adoptive Parent, searching for the perfect adoption agency, and agencies to avoid. We were perfect marks.
The email correspondence concluded in October 2002, ending an information mining game. With each email exchanged, we suspected something wasn’t quite right. One burned Beacon House/Amrex client was not so to be so fortunate in her exchanges with Tracy Kellogg and fell into her trap.
Here is Elizabeth’s first email to her, in response to that FRUA post:
From: Daniel and Elizabeth Case
Sent: Tuesday, August 27, 2002 10:01AM
Subject: Post on FRUA
Thank you for leaving your email address. I saw your post on FRUA regarding which adoption agencies to avoid. Valid and open question.
Without a doubt, having been in personal contact with families who lost $$$ and children, I can tell you to definitely AVOID the following agencies:
BUILDING BLOCKS ADOPTION SERVICE – Our agency. Is an Amrex agency. SICK KIDS. 3 dissolved adoptions. Horrible, horrible contract – if the adoption goes south, you get NOTHING back. The agency director will LIE to you about the health of the referrals she sends your way. We are going to be putting up our website about our experience with them – radical read.
CRADLE OF HOPE – where to begin. Expensive. Rotten contract. Sick kids. Lost referrals in-country. Money lost. Am in contact with 3 families who were taken in the regions of Moscow, Tomsk & Khabarovsk. Do NOT give Linda Perilstein & Co your hard-earned cash!
IFS (International Family Services) – sick kids, dissatisfied clients, nearly bankrupt agency directors. Lovely organization.
FOCUS ON CHILDREN – Amrex agency. Major photolister. SICK CHILDREN from their EE programs. MAJOR delays in their Kaz program – very sick children from their Kaz, Russian and Ukrainian program. Some clients call them “Focus on Lies and Delays.”
I know there are more out there, but the above are the ones that seem to crop up with the most problems most angry and dissatisfied clients.
Ask questions publicly like you are. Ask for private references via email during the decision making process. Log onto the various agency registry sites for other client contacts of various agencies you are looking at.
Go at this like you would in looking for a competent building contractor – some of these adoption agencies are in this for one thing: the profit motive.
Elizabeth Case
Agency: Building Blocks
Then, as now, we’d heard tales from clients of the above mentioned agencies. Not just one horror story of agency incompetence and callousness, but several.
Tracy’s response:
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Wednesday, September 04, 2002 4:17 PM
Subject: Re: The MS patch
Hi Elizabeth and Dan,
Thanks for all the information you've given me. I was really disappointed to see that Genesis was listed as one of the Amrex agencies. I've contacted many agencies locally and Genesis was one of them. I have to admit, that of all the packets I received, theirs was (by far) the nicest. I'm also familiar with the area that their office is located in and it's a very nice group of office parks/buildings, which I have to admit, is somewhat
impressive.
Another agency I was checking into, but am now not so sure of is Frank Adoption agency. What do you think of them? I've heard of Frank in NC and Frank in MD, are they affiliated?
One more questions-what do you think/know about independant adoptions. I didn't think I would consider that, but now I'm curious.
Thanks again for your time!
Isn’t it interesting how she touts Genesis in this email? Nice packet! Local agency! Knew the area their office was located in. We began to smell a rat, but played along. If she could troll for information, well, so could we.
We no longer have our response to this due to a hard-drive crash, but we were careful not to say a word against Genesis. There was that possibility that she wasn’t a troll, but a naïve PAP, just looking for a good adoption agency. Still, we were cautious.
In the following email, she seems to be asking all the right questions, but something still seemed off. She was asking too many questions and again praising Genesis — this time for their “classy, very nicely put together … most beautiful brochure.” Yet she trashes out other brochures she’d allegedly been sent (as if a “professional brochure” will equal a “professional” agency and an honest adoption — silly girl! She was working for the masters of greedy child brokering in Russia)
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Thursday, September 05, 2002 9:39 AM
Subject: Stuff
Hi again,
It's nice to be able to email you directly and get good information. Until my search for an agency and information on international adoption, I didn't spend much time on bulletin boards or chat rooms, so I was really caught off guard by all the conflicting information. You mentioned that you were putting information on a website, will it be available anytime soon or is it out there somewhere now? Also, I couldn't tell by your last email if you'd give Genesis a chance or not? Should I at least meet with the director and/or staff? I received the most beautiful brochure from them, it was very classy, very nicely put together, nice presentation. All of the other packets of info were basically stapled sheets of paper. One agency even requested a payment of $10 to 'cover the cost' of about 20 sheets of information on plain white paper or to put $1.72 on an envelope and mail the pages back to them. I certainly don't want to spend any more money than I have to, but most of the packets just weren't very professional and I'd like think this process will be handled professionally. Oh by the way, I downloaded that patch from MS yesterday. Thanks again, you were the only ones that made me aware of the virus.
Tracy
She came back with a swipe at another Georgia agency — An Open Door in Thomasville. She seemed insistent on finding out why An Open Door had lost their accreditation.
At the time, we didn’t have a clue (nor did we care – they weren’t accredited, so why use them?). In 2004, we found out why … Jacob Lindorff’s death.
Heather Lindorff, his adoptive mother, was given six years in jail for the abuse and neglect that caused Jacob’s death on Dec. 14, 2001 in Franklin Township, New Jersey. An Open Door placed not only Jacob, but his twin, his brother and three other female biological siblings with the Lindorffs in just under two years.
If Tracy thought we knew that An Open Door was the Lindorffs’ agency at the time, she was wrong.
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Friday, September 06, 2002 3:19 PM
Subject: Another agency question
Hi,
The more I learn, the more difficult the decision is becoming. I just recently starting looking into an agency called Open Door in GA. On their website it says 'The Open Door has been issued Accreditation Certificate Number 40 from the Russian Federation!', but I just spoke with someone @Open Door who said they are no longer accredided 'at this time', but said it really didn't matter. Does it matter? and on what grounds does an agency loss it's accredidation, does this happen often? I can't seem to find a whole lot of information on Open Door on the adoption guide, icar or eeac, so I thought you might have some information/insight or a recommendation.Thanks!
I recommended she look into Elina International Adoption Services, who had worked in a few regions of Russia. She seemed insistent on checking out Georgia agencies, I thought I’d give her more choices.
And AGAIN she hit on An Open Door in this response, asking how losing accreditation would affect Open Door’s clients. She trashed out Elina. I wondered if she had spoken with real Elina clients privately, or was rehashing posts from the Kurgan Yahoo! Group.
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Monday, September 09, 2002 10:43 AM
Subject: Elina
Elizabeth,
Of course, I'm finding some 'not so happy' clients of Elina on the Kurgan website. I've emailed a few of them and asked them to send me more information privately. One post says, "Not knowing enough about the process, we put our trust in our agency.....WRONG!!! Please know the ins and outs before you go"..... "all of this could have been avoided had Elina done it's homework". I've also since heard they are a fairly new agency, not alot of experience and are not accredited in Russia. Also, I heard that Open Door lost it's accredition in Russia. So how does that affect the families and children in the process w/Open Door right now, can they continue or are they held up now? There is so much information out there, I don't know whether to read more or less......
Hey, by the way, have you ever considered opening your own adoption agency?
You seem to know more than most....I'll sign up!!!!
Thanks
Although we were not aware of this in 2006, we learned in 2003 Elina signed an umbrella agreement with Carolina Adoption Services
and ABC Adoption Services. This agreement lasted barely two years. It has ended up in a legal dispute.
Carolina Adoption Services, located in North Carolina, was the sole Board of Directors of ABC, which is located in Virginia. ABC had gained Accreditation from the Russian government. It appears CAS/ABC had entered into an agreement with other non-accredited agencies like non accredited Amrex agencies were doing with Beacon House. A CAS employee in Russia, Oleg Olenikov, asked Elina for more money per dossier he received from Elina, over and above what he charged CAS/ABC for their clients.
Court documents allege that in November 2005 CAS/ABC refused to do business with Elina (disregarding their contract for umbrellaing). CAS/ABC informed these Elina clients that in order for their adoptions to proceed, they needed to jump ship from Elina to CAS/ABC. As a result, Elina claims it was forced out of business. They filed suit against CAS/ABC in September 2006, in Georgia. The latest information we have is CAS/ABC filed for a change of venue in March 2007.
For the record, no way on God’s green earth would we open an adoption agency. We’ve seen the after effects of what such things do to well meaning people.
In her next email she bashed ... EAC. Why was everybody always out to bash EAC? This one got under my skin, because it’s not anything I’d ever heard about EAC’s seminars. It sounded like a fabrication, but I didn’t call her on it. I couldn’t imagine an EAC seminar as she describes. Yet, we’ve never attended an EAC seminar, so it’s her version versus the truth.
She again mentioned An Open Door’s accreditation issue, still searching for information. Did she really think we knew that much — or that any agency would give us such privy information? And why was she so obsessed with their accreditation?
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Wednesday, September 18, 2002 10:01 AM
Subject: advice again please
Hi,
I recently went to an EAC seminar and there were some things said that I'm just sure about. The lady who presented was very knowledgement and had a very nice personality, which was appealing. However, it was said flat out, that you should expect to lie in court in Russia and if you're not comfortable with that, maybe international adoption is not for you. Is that the norm? Another thing, you do not choose your region, it was said that EAC assigns you to a region. Also, there is a 6-8 month waiting period for a referal. I thought that sounded a little long, what do you think? Once a referal is in, you must go to the directors house to view the videotape, why wouldn't they conduct that portion in the office?
In a private email from someone in contact with Open Door, I found out they did lose the accrediation over a previous case with a child and apparently that's permanent, not just a 'not at this time' type thing. As of yesterday, they hadn't removed their accredidation information from their website, so that makes me leary of persuing them further.
Thanks for any input,
Tracy
In my response I asked her exactly who had given the EAC seminar. Surely Margaret Cole-Hughes wouldn’t have acted this way. Tracy was a good foil. She must have been speaking with other EAC clients in Georgia or had actually attended the seminar, for me for she gave me a name — Kim Jackson. Kim Jackson is listed as EAC's incorporator in the state of Georgia. That's not that hard of information to find out. This time, she finally asked about a non-Georgia agency: International Assistance Group (IAG) an agency I do recommend for Russia:
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 3:33 PM
Subject: Thanks!
Hi again,
Thanks for your response. The lady that did the EAC seminar wasn't Margaret Cole, it was Kim Jackson. There were several people shifting in their seats with some of the remarks, I just wasn't sure what to think, thanks for the coorespondance re:EAC. I received an email from a couple that did a lot of research and took more than a year to select their agency. I think that's a little lengthy, but I don't feel so bad about taking my time in my decision making. Someone had mentioned another agency at one point (I thought it was you, maybe not) called International Assistance Group. I can't find much on them, do you have any information or know where I can look? Do you know what regions they operate in and where they're located?
Thanks, your input is appreciated!
That Elizabeth Case was sure a wealth of adoption agency info! Elizabeth Case certainly knows her stuff! Ask her anything about any adoption agency and she has her opinion.
Here is my response to her regarding EAC and IAG:
From: Daniel and Elizabeth Case
To: Tracy Kellogg <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
Sent: Thursday, September 19, 2002 5:36 PM
Subject: IAGTracy:
IAG is run by Larissa Mason from, I believe, Pittsburgh or somewhre in PA. They are a very selective agency with respect to clients. I recall a discussion on FRUA where people were stating that the agency interviewed THEM and it was a lengthy process.
Now, I don't think that is a bad thing. With the last few Russian kids killed at the hands of the adoptive mothers, perhaps it is good that the agencies actually care where the kids are going to.
IAG works primarily in St. Petersburg. That could be why they are so selective.
They are also, I think, accredited and have been placing children for many years with no dissolutions/disruptions.
This is the good stuff that I have heard about them. They may also be costly - but I do not know about the costs. Ask publicly or check out some names on the EEAC agency registry.
Kim Jackson/EAC - never heard of her. It's nice to know that other families at the seminar were uncomfortable with THAT presentation.
I'm not saying DON'T use EAC - but if you were turned off about them (aside
from the emails forwarded on from Mikhail), obviously, they are not the agency for you.
If you want to find a URL or contact information on IAG, go to a website I haven't even gone to in eons, but one that is very, very helpful: www.adopting.com (or it's www.adopting.org ) Go to where they have the alphabetical listing of attorneys and adoption agencies. You should be able to go to "I" and find IAG with ease.
E
Tracy was really getting insistent on Genesis — again. By this point in our correspondence, my b.s. detector was going off. Something was off about the constant Genesis touting. She was not acting like a normal PAP.
Today,what strikes us how closely BBAS mirrors this bring-the-newly-adopted-kid into the office tactic to a “T”. She makes reference to meeting Genesis Russian kids who are brought into the agency’s offices right after they come home. This was the same hook, line and sinker scenario BBAS pulls on some of its Ohio Guatemala marks. Was this the way Amrex tells its clients to act, or was this something BBAS had learned on its own?
She was too knowledgeable about Genesis, its offices and Amrex’s proximity to that office (the same building). She again wrote of the “very professional packet of information” and their proximity to her. She was attempting to get me to say something nasty about Genesis and Amrex.
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 5:06 PM
Subject: IAG and Genesis
Hi Elizabeth,
I'm planning to contact IAG in the next few days and hope to receive a packet of information soon as well.
A few weeks ago, we had scheduled a meeting with Genesis. Judging by the quality of information I received in the mail, the choices were very limited and they were one of the agencies that delivered a very professional packet of information, plus they're local. For some reason I just feel more comfortable with a local agency. Before we went to the meeting, I contacted a few of the parents from a registry that have very recently adopted from Genesis. I talked to 3 new moms who were so happy with their new little ones.One mom said that she encountered a few things she didn't expect, but talking to other new adoptive moms, they were par for the course. I questioned them about Amrex and 1 mom was actually the most impressed with the Amrex facilitators in Russia. She said they were very well connected and that things ran very smooth and quickly. When we got to the meeting, we found out that Amrex operates on the same floor as Genesis. So, I had the chance to ask Susan Secor questions about Genesis and Amrex. She seemed very open and answered my questions regarding their structure and how it all works.
Our meeting lasted several hours, partially because during our meeting there was a visit from new parents who just arrived home with their precious little girl. She was sooo sweet and there was a little celebration of sorts. I'm obviously continuing my search, but the Genesis/Amrex organization seemed to be very stable, structured and professional. Do you think they've built a good, strong business over the years? It's so hard to hear all different sides of the story and trying to decifer which way to go. I've certainly heard good and bad from every agency I've posted questions about. Everybody talks about going with your instincts and gut feeling and I really felt comfortable with everyone I met there. Again, I'm still looking and doing my research and hope to make a good decision when the time is right. Thanks letting me bend your ear! Tracy
I don’t know my response to this due to the HD crash. Perhaps I said she should be careful, go with what she knew, if she felt okay with Genesis to go for it, etc. She sent me the following, again trying to trip me up:
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 5:43 PM
Subject: Re: IAG and Genesis
Hi,
So, do you think it's the orphanages or regions that don't have the healthiest children? It's my understanding that there is the risk of unhealthy children coming from Russia and other underprivileged areas. Should I be actually more concerned with where the children are coming from then I should be with whether or not the agency is an Amrex agency?
This was my response. By this point in the game, her obvious fishing expedition had become tiresome. She and Amrex were not going to get what they were after from me, namely me badmouthing Genesis and Amrex by name. I did warn her, however, to avoid Blagoveshchensk and the Amur region.
From: Daniel and Elizabeth Case
Sent: Tuesday, September 24, 2002 6:38 PM
Subject: Re: IAG and Genesis
Tracy:
If you feel comfortable using Genesis, by all means do.The most recent referrals are the ones you should go on.
HOWEVER, SPECIFY YOU DO NOT want a referral from Blagoveshchensk/Amur.
I don’t care what you have read about that place. THE CHILDREN IN THAT ORPHANAGE ARE UNHEALTHY.
Ask for a referral from Vladivostok. The corruption is not as pronounced as it is in Amur. Please just take that bit of advice.
I am in contact with the second person in the midst of having a dissolution from the Baby Home in Blagoveshchensk. Two BBAS clients.
http://www.frontiernet.net/~dancase/Ponish1.htm
http://www.frontiernet.net/~dancase/Towellintro.htm
It behooves Susan Secor that she is so close with Marina Zakharova.
You are the person in control of your adoption. If you feel Genesis has what you need – do it.
Elizabeth Case
For the record, by the end of the year, Susan Secor would leave Genesis and form her own agency, One World Adoptions.
Susan grew to dislike the business practices of Genesis. Her supposedly close relationship with the then-Executive Director, Marina Zakharova (formerly Mrs. Sergey Zasyatkin) turned sour.
The last email Tracy Kellogg sent us must have been in response to something I’d posted to FRUA. It was regarding Amrex’s accredited agencies:
From: "Tracy Kellogg" <tdkellogg@mindspring.com>
To: "Daniel and Elizabeth Case"
Sent: Tuesday, October 01, 2002 8:26 AM
Subject: Amrex agencies
Hi Elizabeth,
I was told by the Genesis folks that Amrex has 3 accredited agencies, Beacon House, Adoption Placement in Fla and one other, I don't remember the name, but can probably find out.
I never heard back from her. The next time Tracy Kellogg showed up, it was as an Amrex employee.
In September 2003, we received the following forward from a contact regarding a Tajikistan adoption. The email had been sent to a few Amrex agencies. Imagine our surprise when we saw who was the writer of the email — and her affiliation:
From: Tracy Kellogg (Amrex)
To: Georgia Leonard (thefamilynetwork@earthlink.net) ; drowan@lsga.org ;
Earl & Shelley Cylkowski ; bunny@thehopps.com
Sent: Wednesday, September 24, 2003 4:43 PMHi all,
The adoption situation in Tajikistan is again unstable for the children in need of loving families and homes. I wanted to give you some background information on a specific situation in Tajikistan and ask for help in helping these children, current and future, become adopted.Recently, there was a little girl in Tajikistan that has been adopted by an American family. The court preceding took place and the adoption was finalized. The mother traveled from the US to Almaty to pick up her beautiful little girl, but was not permitted to leave the country with her daughter. All paperwork has been processed, including the Visa, etc. The major of the city of Khundjand has come forward in an attempt to stop
international adoptions of Tajikistan children stating that "it is better for the children to die in Tajikistan, then to give them up to the United States".This is an atrocity and such an blatant violation of human rights.
In effort to draw attention to this atrocity and help the children of Tajik, we have worked with a children's advocacy group and drafted a letter that we hope many (hundreds) of people will sign and send to the congressmen of their district, as well as the White House (president@whitehouse.gov and vice.president@whitehouse.gov) and the US Embassy in Tajikistan (reception@amemb.tajik.net).It is very important that we get this letter to as many people as possible. Can you please get this information to as many people as possible, along with the attachment, in an attempt to draw necessary attention to this matter. I am trying to get this letter to as many adoptive families, church groups, etc. as possible. I think you will agree that this letter is well written and effective in getting the point across.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
<<Urgent Call for Immediate Action.doc>>
Thank you very much for any assistance you provide in this matter.Tracy
A year later, a friend in the adoption industry informed us Tracy was somebody’s sister at Genesis and hence, was able to get a job with Amrex. In October 2005, she appeared on Amrex’s corporate filings with the Secretary of State of Georgia as Amrex’s “Chief Executive Officer”.
In early 2006, Tracy Kellogg was Amrex’s “Executive Director”. Even with Amrex's demise and Genesis slow down, Kellogg continues to be in the international adoption game. Even before her bosses at Amrex were declaring bankruptcy, Kellogg had her own adoption agency incorporated. "Angels of Hope, Inc." It was incorporated by a Stacy McBee on May 1, 2006 as a Non-Profit Corporation.
As of this writing, there is no address listed on Angels of Hope’s website. The telephone number listed, (404) 246-8100, is registered to Tracy Kellogg.
Kellogg had learned the ropes, made Guatemalan contacts, and timely implemented the tools she’d learned from her bosses at Amrex. Stay tuned. She ain’t out of it yet.