Human Predators Stalk Haiti's Vulnerable Kids

Not Everyone in Idaho is Brain Dead

snippets

"I'm just glad they're getting home safely. It's been a very puzzling situation," said Randi Albrechtsen of Boise, as she passed a slew of media waiting for the Idahoans at the Boise Airport Thursday."

"They've called it a rescue mission, but here at home, that hasn't been a good enough explanation.

"It would be interesting to know what they really knew, the plan for going over, if they really understood what was happening," said Albrechtsen."

and

""Why didn't they just wait and get some other kind of documentation so they wouldn't have to go through all this?" asked Mary Lenox of Boise.

"Were they really trying to help, or were they smuggling them out?" asked Yolanda Neptune, flying into town from Maine.

"I know you just can't take children and you can't do it even if you think you're doing good," added Lenox."

Jorge Puello speaks!! Let's see what the gentleman has to say for himself.

http://bastardette.blogspot.com/

Also available here:

http://dontadopthaiti.blogspot.com/

i.b.nora--On a personal note, I can attest to the fact that not all Idahoans are brain dead. My sweet 89 year old aunt--the heart of my heart, is an Idahoan and a lifelong Baptist (yes, she listens to Pat Robertson but does talk back to him on her TV!!) told me last night that "those Baptist do-gooders need to have their heads examined".

Couldn't have said it better myself. I'm hoping that wise Baptists everywhere will speak out about this mess and distance themselves and their churches from these nutty people. IMO, the classiest approach the SBC could take is to make a huge donation to a neutral charity in Haiti as a peace offering for the ruckus a handful of members caused.

Melly--I almost forgot to ask you about a statement you made. You commented about the brochures being in English. I watched the Anderson Cooper interview again and am I missing something? Are you certain they are in English? If they are, that is just a whole new level of outrageousness--akin to Silsby saying that parents could visit their adopted kids in the US or follow their progress on the internet.

So, in the middle of a disaster zone, just how does a poor family access that laptop? I keep wondering about that. Was Silsby planning on having everything translated into Creole so the families who can read could access the information? As if......

Is there any word on whether the children have been all reunited with their parents or children's homes where they lived?

Well, I've read Jorge's comments and have question. How is it that the Canadian court seized Mr. Torres' passports (Canadian, US, and DR) and he was still able to travel? Does that give everyone as much pause as it does me? In this day and age of terrorism, this guy was obviously able to acquire false documents to carry on his illegal actions and to engage in prohibited travel.

Jorge, himself, loudly declared early on, that he had no passport. How did he travel even back and forth to Haiti? Is a passport required to cross the DR/Haiti border? It's rumored that he's in Panama, although the blogger states that his emails are coming from the DR. What about all the purported trips to the US, Canada, El Salvador? Were all these countries duped into accepted false documentation?

This guy is not what I'd call real stable. I'm really hoping that Interpol picks him up swiftly.

Idaho Baptist on Today show: 'Better to get up off the couch and go help spirit the orphans into the DR so we can make them into Baptists'

The Idaho Statesman reports on the four Baptists on the Today Show today.

I didn't see it. Maybe it will show up online.

An intriguing and disturbing comment following the article linked by i.b.nora above. It was made by a poster named "Teresa". A snip:


"..........Was there a gifted, oratorical charismatic director of ANOTHER children’s home in the U.S. that she wanted to follow the model of? If THESE questions could be answered, I’m confident another whole can of worms would be opened here. Google "Lester Roloff", "New Bethany/Mack Ford". If you want to read about "christian" children's homes, especially ones that made LOTS of $ exploiting children, brace yourself and do a little research."


OK, following that little hint, let's take a look:


[ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Roloff[/ame]


http://www.freedomsphoenix.com/Read-Comments.htm?EdNo=001&Info=0051343


http://newbethanysurvivors.multiply.com/


Lots more links for those wanting to google those names. Sounds like a place I'm glad I never spent time at. Any possibility Silsby crossed paths with someone involved in these youth homes? I am so curious as to the development of her "plan".

Haiti judge to visit Dominican Rep in Americans case

snippets

"Judge Bernard Sainvil said he would seek information in the Dominican Republic about Laura Silsby and Charisa Coulter, ..."

""I am going to the Dominican Republic tomorrow to learn more about the case and to visit where Mrs Silsby said she had the orphanage. I want to talk to some people there who could have useful information," Sainvil told reporters on Friday."

and

"Earlier on Friday, Sainvil questioned Silsby and Coulter about previous visits they had made to orphanages in Haiti.

Sainvil said the two would face another hearing on Tuesday, next week and would remain in detention until them. Their Haitian lawyer said he is confident they will also be freed."

and

"Asked about Friday's questioning by the judge, Silsby told Reuters: "He asked me questions about a visit I made to an orphanage in Ouanaminthe in December 2009. I went there and I met Pastor Daniel (in charge), we distributed gifts to the children.""

I found some old (2003) pics of the Costa Liza hotel.
http://www.hotel-costaliza.de.vu/
Particularly popular with European tourists.

By 2006 it didn't look as nice anymore:
http://www.holidaycheck.de/hotel-Urlaubsbilder_Hotel+Costa+Liza-ch_ub-hid_40682.html

Late 2006 the Puerto Plata catholic diocese took it over and turned it into a vocational training and retreat center.

One thing that doesn't get mentioned much anymore is that the group had forecast lodging for up 120 kids. Meaning that - if the first bus trip had gone smooth - there would have been several more trips.

Thanks Jeff Jones for the links to information and pictures of the Costa Liza, and welcome to Websleuths.

Actually, if their first and their second trips had worked, they would have gotten 73 total, in those two trips alone. Thankfully, neither worked. And, you are right, they did have plans for many more.

These are brain dead people.

DR agent shares orphanage plans of US missionary

By DIONISIO SOLDEVILA
ASSOCIATED PRESS WRITER

"SOSUA, Dominican Republic -- Six months before Haiti's earthquake, the leader of a group of U.S. missionaries accused of kidnapping 33 children flew to the Dominican Republic to open an orphanage, a real estate agent said Friday.

During that visit, Laura Silsby inquired about property in the northwestern village of Gaspar Hernandez, near the popular sailboarding beach town of Cabarete, the agent, Jose Hidalgo, said.

He shared documents with The Associated Press showing Silsby planned to open an orphanage, a clinic and two schools in that town. Hidalgo said he agreed to meet Saturday with Haitian officials who called asking to review the documents."

Oh boy, more documents!!!

"It is unclear how many orphanages Silsby envisioned opening in Haiti or the Dominican Republic.

On Jan. 8 - four days before the catastrophic quake - she registered the name for the orphanage she planned to build in the Dominican Republic: New Dominican Life Children's Refuge. It was registered to two U.S. citizens who live in the Dominican Republic, who could not immediately be reached for comment."

What do you want to bet Rob & Dawn Chenvert?

"Hidaglo said that three days after the group was detained, he got a call from a man who identified himself as attorney Jorge Puello.

He said Puello requested documents detailing Silsby's plans to open the orphanage in the Dominican Republic so he could prove her innocence. Hidalgo said he turned over copies of the documents after Puello showed him a video in which he interviewed Coulter, one of the missionaries."

You're welcome, and thanks for having me.

Haiti Press Network reports that Daniel Paul, who runs MADO in Ouanaminthe has confirmed that he did indeed receive a visit in December from Silsby & Coulter.
They have been working hard for 7 years to build this place up. That's the type of organization that deserves support.

But no, Silsby wanted to do her own delusional thing, grandiose, from scratch, with no experience, no money, and ... in the country next door.

The two people who registered Refugio de Niños Nueva Vida Dominicana were:

Laura Lavonne Silsby and Jose Altagracia Ovando Hidalgo (most likely the realtor himself).

I have noticed that in today's photos that both Laura Silsby and Charissa Coulter have on fresh outfits. Thank God!!! :shutup:

jeff_jones said:

The two people who registered Refugio de Niños Nueva Vida Dominicana were:

Laura Lavonne Silsby and Jose Altagracia Ovando Hidalgo (most likely the realtor himself).

Click to expand...

Do you have a link for that info? Is it in the French article that I can't read?
Reason I ask is because in the Associated Press article it says:
"On Jan. 8 - four days before the catastrophic quake - she registered the name for the orphanage she planned to build in the Dominican Republic: New Dominican Life Children's Refuge. It was registered to two U.S. citizens who live in the Dominican Republic, who could not immediately be reached for comment."
The only US citizens that I know of that are in the DR and have associations with Laura Silsby are Rob and Dawn Chenvert.

Welcome Jeff!! Glad to have you. Those are some great photos which you found. So, the Costa Liza is the hotel that Silsby agreed to lease in Cabarete while the orphanage was being built in Magante? Why would it look so bedraggled/rundown if the Catholics were using it as a training center (and training center for what?) I still wonder if Father Duarte of Canada had anything to do with this place. He was finally extradited to Canada in Fall 2009 so possibly the Catholics were pleased to hand over some property to the Baptists. Just a thought.

So, I've got a few questions about the link that i.b.nora posted.

We're talking almost $45,000 over 6 months to rent the place in the DR. Who was fronting this money? Was this an appropriate amount to even pay? How about the necessary repairs and improvements to bring the hotel up to par as a children's home? Were the people of a handful of churches in Idaho, Texas, and Kansas really planning on doing this? Did they have photos and the full facts? No need to answer that one.

And the video which Puello purportedly showed Hidalgo, which convinced Hidalgo to turn over documents (please tell me the man kept copies), when was it made? Was it when Puello strong-armed his way into the Haitian jail to speak to the detainees or was it made earlier with Coulter, on one of the trips before the earthquake. That's key to understanding when Puello entered the picture.

And, i.b.nora, ITA that the Chenverts must have been involved. They are probably totally bummed that this deal fell through. Real estate agents around the world are hurting right now. They must have been ecstatic to meet Silsby and Coulter, knowing that they could make a hefty commission in these tough times.

I think it is remarkable that the judge is planning on visiting the DR. I wonder if this is unprecedented. The judge is a wise man and most certainly knows about the history of corruption with charitable orphanages in his country. I think he's going to make a big deal about this investigation as it allows Haiti to save face in the eyes of the world.

It's not in the article, but I looked it up online in the Dominican company registry.

I find it a bit odd that the Baptists and the Lutherans teamed up on anything. Here in the states, even the evangelical groups of both faiths, seem to rarely interact. JMO

I don't think there was any "teaming up". Silsby just went to visit them.

Missizzy said:

Jorge Puello speaks!! Let's see what the gentleman has to say for himself.

http://bastardette.blogspot.com/

Also available here:

http://dontadopthaiti.blogspot.com/

Click to expand...

I meant to thank you earlier today for alerting us to these new posts at bastardette.
After reading them I was left sort of speechless. I find the guy absolutely fascinating, and I think he is nuttier than a fruitcake. I really think he is destined to be this decade's great imposter.