21 Girls adopted by John and Marian DiMaria

 

Marian and John DiMarias, conservative evangelical Christians, adopted 21 girls from third-world countries. The adopted girls were all impaired; most were deaf. In February, 2003, the State of Vermont learned that John DiMaria had been sexually abusing the older girls for years. He was convicted and jailed by the State.

During 1999 - 2003 DiMaria and her husband, John DiMaria, lived in Jericho, VT  and operated the Gypsy Grace Ranch, advertised as "North America's Largest Breeder" of Gypsy horses, an expensive English draft horse. The DiMarias moved to Vermont from Kentucky, where they also operated a horse farm.

In 2002 and 2003, after the DiMarias had exhausted Marian DiMaria's trust fund of over $7 million, they deceived the Mellon Bank in Pennsylvania, a trustee of the adopted girls' trusts, into sending them $168,000 for fictitious expenses. Further investigation revealed that DiMaria had received and spent $96,000 from one adopted victim's trust, and had defrauded the Social Security Administration of approximately $13,000, after she learned that her husband had been sexually abusing the children.

At least 2 girls were born in China, and Ukraine, at least one girl in India, Russia, Brazil, and Bolivia. (1996 they had 8 from: China, Russia, India, Brazil)  - (Olivia, Hannah, Rikki, Tressah, Anya, Elizabeth, + 15 more)

Date: 2003-02-01

Placement type: Adoption

Type of abuse: Sexual abuse, Economic exploitation

Abuser: Adoptive father, Adoptive mother

Fundamentalist faith: yes

Location

Jericho, Vermont
United States

See map: Google Maps