Shady Child Adoptions in Guatemala
See also:
- An adopter's blame-game, and going to war
- China babies 'sold for adoption'
- Goody-goody gum drops! Madonna just might have Mercy!
- China probes child trafficking, adoption link
- The Catholic church sold my child
- Sierra Leone: Opinion - Over HANCI-MAPS Adoption, Who is Deceiving Who?
- Guatemala adoptions to begin again
- Adoption group is under shadow
- Adoption and Altruism
- Adopting domestically can lower hurdles to claiming tax credit
From Prensa Latina, Sept 16, 2008
Guatemalan financial authorities detected several cases of money laundering related to irregular procedures for child adoption by US families, sources revealed on Tuesday in this capital.
The Special Verification Quartermaster Corps (IVE), in charge of investigating suspicious bank transactions, reported that at least $12 million were transferred to the county to pay lawyers and other people related to these procedures.
According to the report, there are around 85 money orders bought by around 50 US agencies, the transference services of which said, for example: "first payment for the child, second payment for the 7-year-old boy in process," and similar others.
The amounts fluctuated between $20,000 and $30,000 and at least 40 Guatemalans were detected among the recipients, 20 of whom were notaries, the IVE said.
According to the local laws, money laundering is committed when sums of money are received as a result of an illegal or irregular action.
Up to late 2007, 4,000 Guatemalan minors were given up to adoption to foreign families, mostly from the United States, arousing criticism from national and international organizations.
Those organizations said many women ere convinced to sell their newborn babies to meet their needs, or babies were just robbed and their identities changed.
To stop this market, the government created the National Adoption Council, a single entity with legal power to authorize giving up a child for adoption.
The Council decided on September 9 to suspend international adoptions for an indefinite period, and give priority to applications by couples of Guatemalan origin that do not have to pay any money for the necessary procedures.
http://www.plenglish.com/article.asp?ID=%7B69593F8F-A348-4366-A489-72F2DDB86C18%7D)&language=EN
- Login to post comments
- 3493 reads
Money laundering
Given the great range in
child pricesadoption fees these days, is it any surprise some working within the adoption industry have taken to money laundering?I can't help but think this gives new meaning to "blood money".
Money laundering?
But is it money laundering?
Definition of money laundering:
In these adoption cases, the money comes from adoptive parents, as a payment for 'adoption services'.
So, I would not define it as money laundering, but - as the payment for the services is rather too high for the real services delivered - it is rather TRADE IN CHILDREN.
Consider the sources
If you think about it, PAP's are not the only source of income for an agency.
Money laundering schemes often need a legitimate cover to keep them from obvious investigation. What is more noble than saving orphaned/sickly children? [Just think, these agencies don't even need an inventory of waiting children... they can just claim they provide certain services and pay as they greet their next investigation.]
I found a great article that goes into more of the details that need to be ironed-out when considering money laundering:
The rest of that article goes into the laws involved in these schemes. I bet many can see how lucrative baby-selling can be, especially if a person is willing to dip a few toes into a little laundering pool.
Laundering example:
Facing the Reality of Child Trafficking and Adoption
by Joanne Thalken
On November 19, 2004, Lauryn Galindo, a Seattle intercountry adoption facilitator, was sentenced to 18 months in prison for the child trafficking of hundreds of Cambodian children.
Galindo denied child trafficking charges but pled guilty to money laundering and visa fraud. She admits to falsifying children’s names, dates of birth, places of birth and family history. She facilitated over 800 adoptions, taking $9.2 million dollars in fees. A portion of these fees was meant to go to the orphanages in Cambodia, but it seems very little of the money reached them. Much of the money went towards Galindo’s multimillion-dollar house in Hawaii and expensive cars.
Excerpts from court documents describe one child being taken from her village at the age of nine, to be placed with a family in the United States who was told she had spent four years in an orphanage. The child, understandably, was completely devastated, angry, hurt and confused. Her parents had no idea why. Once she learned to speak English, she did manage to explain to her parents what had happened.
Families also received children from biological parents they were told were the nannies. Birth parents were given money and told that they would be able to join their children in the United States later.
Court documents state that Galindo, “prepared, or caused adoptive parents to prepare, visa paperwork that falsely represented either (1) that the adopted child’s family history was unknown or (2) the names, date of birth, place of birth, current residence, relatives, and or physical characteristics of the adopted children. It is important to note that it was not only the names and dates of birth of the adopted children that were falsified, but also their family history, place of birth, current residence, and other factors that made it impossible for them ever to locate their Cambodian family members.”
Though Galindo constructed a complex web of bribery and corruption which involved government officials and offshore bank accounts, Galindo and her lawyers try to portray her as a simple person whose one aim was to “help children.”
http://www.bcadoption.com/articles_pf.asp?pageid=38&Offset=50&AK=ShowAll&HC=1&AD=112
Exactly
A video was posted featuring this story. You can find it here: "Cambodia Adoption Scandal", http://poundpuplegacy.org/node/21356
The very disturbing thought is how many are there within the adoption industry... and how many have NOT been caught?
Blood money...
Right!
There is at least one example where blood was shed
http://community.seattletimes.nwsource.com/archive/?date=20060313&slug=perubabies13
And I'm sure that there are many "birth" parents who have died grieving their lost children through adoption/child traficking.
Where to begin????
Wow... that was one horrific article. It actually reminded me of a back-alley abortion, only much MUCH worse.
There is so much to say in regards to that piece, but one thing that really stuck out like a cancerous tumor is this subtle connection made about supply, demand, and how easy it is to fall into the wrong hands when a child's life is placed in the care of a self-serving stranger.
Where is the morality in adoption if people are willing to break laws and stop at nothing -- (some will even kill a young pregnant woman) -- all for a baby?
Supply and demand
I looked for some more infomation about this case and found a recent article in Spanish: http://www.24horaslibre.com/politica/1219078251.php
Supposedly the only ones accused in this murder are the ones responsible for the actual deed, but the demand side of this operation seems to have run scott free.
Supply and demand translated
Since not everyone can read Spanish here is the article above translated...
Reaffirm accusation and asked for 35 years responsible for murder of Claudina Herrera
The Eighth Higher Criminal Prosecution of Lima today ratified the indictment for the crimes of abduction and murder, and requested the maximum sentence of 35 years imprisonment for those responsible for the death of the couple Claudina Herrera, who killed in October 2005 to remove The baby who was brewing.
The main accused is Isabel Palacios, the woman who was passing by the baby's mother Claudina.
It is also processed social assistance, Sofia Parravicini, who took Palacios and the baby to the hospital of the Solidarity Surquillo to find an alleged delivery of emergency.
Also, Diana Rivas, accused of being the obstetrician who, through a cesarean clandestine, extracted the baby of the deceased couple, as well as the taxi driver Miguel Montoya.
In addition, he requested that the defendants pay in solidarity 120 thousand suns of civil reparation for the bereaved families of Claudina Herrera and his minor daughter, Fabiana Antonella.
The hearing, which was in charge of the Second Criminal Division for Offenders in Jail, was held in the courtroom of the Lurigancho prison.
Kinda brings a new meaning
Kinda brings a new meaning to "You can have my baby over my dead body"
Perhaps it won't be long till C.A.S/CPS/DCF will integrate this process into their repertoire of child abduction methods...
For these agencies more babies means more money ...... I am glad at least somewhere some people know this is wrong..
Blood Money
They already have and now that the new updated version of the Adoption Incentive Bonus program passed the house this morning it will only get worse. The money they were getting for these children has just been doubled.
Dana