Recently in Masha Allen Category

Last month, Cambria County, Pennsylvania terminated the parental rights of one of the most celebrated adoptive parents of the last decade, Faith Allen. Russian orphan Masha Allen, who was a victim of sex trafficking when she was five years old, first came to public attention through a story in the Pittsburg Post-Gazette and later appeared on ABC Primetime, Nancy Grace and Oprah. Masha's story was also featured in the LATimes, Washington Times, and WESH news in Orlando. In 2006, Senator John Kerry passed a major piece of federal legislation in her name, Masha’s Law. Last month Masha was orphaned again when Faith’s parental rights were terminated. Masha Allen’s second adoption and third family in 17 years - what went wrong?

Oprah
“After all the terrible things Masha has endured, she finally has the mother she's always dreamed of having. Though her wounds are far from healed, life might be looking up for this young survivor.”

Nancy Grace
“I want to go to a special lady with us tonight. It`s Masha`s new mom, her adoptive mother, who is herself a crime victim. Faith is with us. You had to go through H-E-double-L to adopt this child. And I know that you`re doing this for Masha. She`s one of my new heroes tonight.”

Senator Johnny Isakson
“After a lifetime of unimaginable hardships, Masha now has a safe home filled with compassion and love thanks to her Angel in Adoption, Faith Allen.”

Congressman Phil Gingrey
“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.”

United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan
“Masha has been adopted by a very loving family who has changed her name and moved her to another part of the country, where she can make a new start and have a very, very wonderful life ahead of her."

Maggie Farley - Los Angeles Times
“Masha was placed in the care of Faith, a gutsy 28-year-old who legally adopted her a year ago.”

Barbara White Stack - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Faith would go on to follow in Judge Allen's footsteps, caring for foster children.

One of them was an 11-year-old whom she affectionately calls Mea, a child like Faith who suffered horrible abuse and night terrors. Just as Judge Allen awoke Faith from the overwhelming nightmares, held her and read to her religious passages, Faith in turn comforted Mea.

They believe divine intervention brought them together to give Judge Allen, the mother of three boys, the daughter she never had and to give Faith and Mea the help they needed. But when the judge saw Faith with her first foster children, she knew it would be all right. ‘She has a deep capacity to love," the judge says, "If anything, my biggest concern now is that she wants to help everybody.’

Just as when Allen agreed to take Faith in, Faith had no idea at that point how terribly Mea had been hurt. Faith believes God placed Mea with her because she could understand her pain and her needs.

It is so awesome for her to be matched with a little girl of similar background who she is able to parent and minister to. I think it was by divine orchestration that it happened that way," Allen says. "And Mea reminds me so much of Faith. She has the sweetest, gentlest spirit."

Faith will never be able to bear her own children because of the abuse she suffered. But she will be a mother.

This afternoon, Faith Elizabeth Allen will adopt Mea. And officiating at the ceremony will be Judge Cheryl Allen.

Judge Cheryl Allen
“And I began to think about the fact that many people would say that this adoption is something that is just occurring by happenstance, but I don't believe that to be the case, and this is not a typical every day, ordinary adoption, so it's not -- so, I'm not going to say typical every day, ordinary things, but I've known Faith for approximately three years, and I know that Faith has been through a lot, and the type of childhood that she had, most of us would have never survived, but Faith is a fighter, and she is a survivor, and I can say that for all the trials and all the tribulations and all the abuse and all the difficulties you have been through, Faith, you know, what the enemy meant for bad, you managed to, through your faith, use it for good, and that is why you are here, or we are here today, because everything that you have been through, as difficult as it was, it has served to prepare you for just such a time as this.”

“Many people who have experienced what you've experienced, and who have the type of history that you have, have become bitter. Many of them, unfortunately, having been victims of abuse, have gone on to become perpetrators of abuse . . . you have been able to turn your trials and tribulations into a testimony, and it is because of your openness and your willingness to share your story that you will serve as a blessing to many people.”

“I know you have been a blessing in my life. You have been a blessing in Masha's life, and will continue to do so, and I believe that there will be many people blessed by your testimony and your experience, and I also believe that only a wise and all-knowing God could have taken a young girl from Georgia and connected her with a young girl from halfway around the world and brought the two of you together, and I know that -- I don't know everything that God has in store for you, but it must be something pretty awesome, because so many things have tried to come against this day coming to pass, as we know, but we are all here for you.”

United States District Judge Terrence McVerry
“I'm so happy, Masha, for you and I hope and pray for you to have a happy life with Faith, and I'm sure that that will come to pass. Anything we can do to help you, I will be more than happy to. Congratulations.”

Masha's First Lawyer: Linell Lee - Kids Voice
“I would like to say that Masha is an incredible little girl, and she's been very strong, and she's a survivor too, and I only see a bright future for her with Faith. Kid's Voice is happy to see this day!”

Pastor Winnie Pollard
“Faith is a blessing. Her strength inspires anyone who knows. There is, without any question, that the two of them are going to be a story worth watching to see how their lives are going to effect so many others. They are a sign of hope in the City for everyone that has struggled liken unto Faith and every child that is in need of help liken unto Masha.”

Masha's Third Lawyer: Attorney Diane Sternlieb
"I applaud Faith's courage. I have spent many, many months with Faith and Masha and have witnessed a bond of love between these two. Masha is lucky to have Faith in her life!"

Masha's Current Lawyer: David S. Bills writing about the withdrawl of Masha's Fifth Lawyer, Robert N. Hunn
There is no conflict of interest and Hunn's request to withdraw is not based on any conflict of interest. What he said was irreconcilable differences with Bills and Faith, both of whom you should correctly assume have Masha's interest at the forefont. There is no basis for you assume anything to the contrary.

Faith received a major award as an Angel in Adoption™ for her outstanding contributions toward the welfare of children in the United States foster care system and orphans around the globe. U.S. Senator Isakson proclaimed: “Faith Allen, who adopted her daughter, Masha, last year, is a truly amazing woman who embodies the spirit of the Angels in Adoptions program. … Masha now has a safe home filled with compassion and love thanks to … Faith Allen.” Representative Gingrey added: “Faith …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.

Torsten Ove - Pittsburg Post-Gazette
In December, Faith decided to move from Pittsburgh to get a fresh start.

These days, Mea has as normal a life as anyone could expect, considering how it began. She relies on her faith, often quoting a passage from Psalm 61: "Lead me to the towering rock of safety, for you are my safe refuge, a fortress, where my enemies can't reach me."

Her family is her other rock.

All it took was love from someone who cared, Faith Allen.

"A vast conspiracy of silence" allowed abuses to go on for years in "the most extraordinary abuse of power without regard for . . . the kids." This recent editorial in the Philadelphia Inquirer referring to the judicial corruption scandal in Luzerne County could also apply to the case involving Masha Allen, another Pennsylvania judicial casualty. Unlike the situation in Luzerne County, however, countless individuals from Pittsburgh to Georgia knew about Masha's plight and failed to respond over and over again.

This lack of imagination was more than just the "human error and system lapses" which allow terrorists to continue to board airplanes, but willful ignorance of information and the basic duty of care to take quick and thorough action to protect the well being and best interest of the most notorious child sex trafficking victim in the world.

Here for the first time is a partial overview of the individuals and institutions who failed to act to protect Masha Allen.

1. According to award-winning journalist and Poynter Institute Ethics Fellow Barbara White Stack, "everyone in Pittsburgh knew Faith was mentally ill" when she adopted Masha Allen. Despite these concerns, White Stack wrote the infamous "press release" extolling, in near-biblical terms, Faith's miraculous adoption of Masha in 2004.
   
   
2. When Judge Cheryl Allen sent her name-sake Faith Allen to the Allegheny County Court employment office to get a job sometime in 2003, Court Administrator Cynthia K. Stoltz found her "obviously mentally ill" and refused to hire her. Faith was apparently not crazy enough to become a foster parent with Families United Network (FUN) where she eventually became a foster parent.
   
   
3. According to Faith's social worker at FUN, Nicole Iole, there were allegations of abuse in Lynn's foster home (one of Faith's prior names is Lynn Ginn) and several children were removed before Masha was even placed there. Lynn was dropped as a foster parent before Masha was even rescued from pedophile Matthew Mancuso. The one person who knew the most was a FUN supervisor, Serena Holt, and even then most of what they knew about Lynn was "untrue." "We never got a straight answer. Lynn always changed her name - her name always came up different. When Masha was placed in Lynn's home she was under suspension for abuse of another child and should not have been on the placement list at all. Masha was supposed to be with Lynn on a temporary basis. Suddenly it was all over the news. Lynn Ginn enjoyed this, the media publicity. She got in good with CYF and the people in charge and they CYF thought it was a good home. They pushed the adoption, pushed it as a good home and wanted it to happen. They agreed and made it happen fast."
   
   “Lynn said Masha never wanted to have any contact with that family Ann Mancuso. Lynn often reported what Masha said and Masha silently agreed. She would get that look on her face. Even if you pulled her aside she was almost rehearsed what Lynn told her. It was like she was repeating Lynn’s words."
   
   "Lynn brought Judge Allen up frequently. Talked about dinner and going over to her house. Lynn said Judge Allen would speed things up and do what she wanted to make the adoption happen. That she was going to change her name to Allen and everything."
   
   
4. FUN Supervisor Serena Holt thought Lynn was “a lawsuit waiting to happen” and wanted her and Masha’s case out of the agency ASAP.
   
   
5. According to Judge Allen, speaking at Masha's adoption, "I began to think about the fact that many people would say that this adoption is something that is just occurring by happenstance, but I don't believe that to be the case, and this is not a typical every day, ordinary adoption, so it's not -- so, I'm not going to say typical every day, ordinary things , , , Faith, many people who have experienced what you've experienced, and who have the type of history that you have, have become bitter. Many of them, unfortunately, having been victims of abuse, have gone on to become perpetrators of abuse . . . you have been able to turn your trials and tribulations into a testimony, and it is because of your openness and your willingness to share your story that you will serve as a blessing to many people."
   
   "I know you have been a blessing in my life. You have been a blessing in Masha's life, and will continue to do so, and I believe that there will be many people blessed by your testimony and your experience, and I also believe that only a wise and all-knowing God could have taken a young girl from Georgia and connected her with a young girl from halfway around the world and brought the two of you together, and I know that -- I don't know everything that God has in store for you, but it must be something pretty awesome, because so many things have tried to come against this day coming to pass, as we know, but we are all here for you."
   
   
6. Throughout her brief stay in foster care, FUN reportedly had "very little contact" with Masha's guardian ad litem Linnell Lee of Kids Voice. Kids Voice founder and executive director Scott Hollander wrote in 2007 that his office had "strong disagreement with Faith Allen's decision to publicize Masha's sexual abuse in the media, which was something that we have always believed was contrary to Masha's best interests and well-being. I and others who had been involved with Masha and Faith -- were concerned that Faith's own issues related to her sexual abuse impacted the decisions she made for Masha, especially regarding her decisions to publicize the circumstances and details of Masha's abuse, a decision with which so many of us disagreed. . . . Faith's publicity efforts began well before Mr. Marsh ever was involved in the case."
   
   
7. On September 27, 2006, Faith terminated our firm's representation because we were demanding a legal guardian to protect Masha's estate. We immediately telephoned the county sheriff who was called to investigate Masha's allegations of abuse, Schicketha "Skeet" Roy. Sheriff Roy is the person who forced Masha to leave a neighbor's home where she had sought refuge and return to Faith. See Douglas County Sheriff's Office Complaint Report. She was also a struggling real estate investor facing foreclosure. A few weeks after this seemingly chance encounter, Faith and Masha would move in with Sheriff Roy with Masha's adoption subsidy check paying Sheriff Roy's mortgage.
   
   
8. In the early morning of September 28, 2006, I spoke with Sheriff Roy's supervisor, Sargent Ken Harper, to express my concern about Masha's mental condition. He reluctantly agreed to send another deputy out to investigate. He stated that if they had any concern, Masha would be evaluated and then "sent to a state hospital on the other side of the state" for a 72 hour evaluation.
   
   
9. Masha was not sent to a state hospital, but to an expensive private hospital called Peachford in suburban Atlanta which recently treated Whitney Houston's child. I immediately attempted to contact Masha's doctor at Peachford, Mohammad Ahmad, M.D., who refused to return my calls. I eventually sent him this letter in my attempt to inform him of my concerns for Masha's health and well being. He never responded.
   
   
10. Faith's new lawyer, equine law specialist and former nurse Diane Sternlieb (who also claimed to represent Masha) consulted with another lawyer, Gary Bunch, who is best known for his involvement with a lawsuit against the notorious Children of the Underground organization which was a loosely linked international network that hides runaway non-custodial parents and their children. During the next several years we were repeatedly informed that Faith was telling people that she and Masha were hiding from "Masha's father" who was trying to kidnap her.
    
    
11. On Friday, September 30, 2006, we contacted Masha's Congressional office as a courtesy to advise them about her situation and our concerns for her health and safety. Faith had been declared an Angel in Adoption by Congress just a week earlier. Shockingly, with her daughter hospitalized in Peachford, Faith had found the time to call this same office which not only refused to listen to us, but declared this 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.
    
    
12. Unbeknown to anyone, during the fall of 2006 Masha was being sought by the Cobb & Douglas Public Health Department for treatment due to a positive TB test. After several home visits, during which medication was refused (and Faith reported that Masha was being home schooled), the Health Department lost track of Masha when she moved to the neighboring county and the home of Sheriff Roy. They apparently never thought to call the state Division of Child and Family Services who was also looking for Masha.
    
    
13. On October 23, 2009, I sent this packet of information to the Georgia state Division of Child and Family Services Field Program Specialist, Diane Aiken, assigned to investigate Masha's case. Through the intervention of noted Georgia attorney B.J. Bernstein, the Georgia Attorney General's office was contacted and a high-ranking attorney was assigned to lead the investigation. In an unusual move, the case was assigned to the state and not the county child welfare office. Unfortuantely, as she would late tell me, Ms. Aiken had no experience with mentally ill children or parents and did not even know what the word "DSM IV" meant. She was also unaware that Faith and Masha had moved from Douglas to Carroll county and was unwilling or unable to fully investigate the case which was eventually closed.
    
    
14. On January 19, 2007, I sent this explosive letter to DeAlvah Hill Sims, Esq. director of the Georgia Office of the Child Advocate. Despite assurances to "open an investigation immediately" and countless follow up emails from our office, the child advocate never took any action in Masha's case.
    
    
15. Finally, on February 2, 2007, facing a six month statutory deadline, I filed this notice of claim to protect Masha's right to pursue a future civil lawsuit against Allegheny County.
    
    
16. After we received information that Masha was in Cambria County, Pennsylvania, we took numerous steps to inform officials there that Masha was at risk of further neglect and abuse and that she had important civil legal rights that needed to be protected. When I identified bankruptcy lawyer Timothy Sloan as Masha's possible guardian ad litem, I sent him this letter. When he failed to respond, I sent him this letter. Finally, on December 17, 2007, I sent this letter to Masha with copies to her presumed guardian ad litem Timothy J. Sloan, family court judge Norman Krumenacker, and Cambria County child welfare administrator Betzi White. The next day, a colleague who was assisting me with the case, informed me of the following:
    
    "I received a call today from Tim Ayers who said that he had spoken with the people at Children & Youth Services, and he indicated that you were very much persona non grata with that agency, that Masha and her mother were aware of her rights, and that they had an attorney. They told Tim that there was no need for him to bring the matter to the attention of the Orphans' Court Judge. Tim is one of the solicitors for the Agency, knows the people well, and therefore is inclined to believe them. He is therefore not in a position to do anything further and will not be meeting with the Judge."
    
    No action was taken to secure Masha's civil rights for almost a year. During that time the agency most responsible for Masha's placement with Matthew Mancuso, Reaching Out Thru International Adoption (ROTIA), went out of business.
    
    

This is just a brief list of the numerous efforts we took to secure Masha's health and safety and civil legal rights. Despite hundreds of letters, faxes, phone calls and emails, no one ever responded, requested Masha's file, or sought any further information about the very serious issues we uncovered. It took over three years--the entire remainder of Masha's childhood--for the individuals responsible for Masha's well-being to finally understand that what we were saying was true; Cambria County itself terminated Faith's parental rights last month. For Masha it's just another six years of her short life lost and forgotten.

Earlier today, this document was filed in New Jersey federal district court in Masha Allen's lawsuit against the agencies responsible for placing her with pedophile Matthew Mancuso. According to the motion:

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.

Masha Allen is officially an orphan again.

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.

For a long time I wondered the same thing. Almost three years ago, I filed this complaint with the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board. After supplying additional information at the request of JCB's chief counsel, Joseph A. Massa Jr., the JCB presumably spent a year investigating my allegations. Right after Judge Allen won her hotly contested election to the Pennsylvania court of appeals in late 2007 (she recently ran for the Pennsylvania Supreme Court and lost in the primary), my complaint against Judge Allen was summarily rejected.

Now that same board and its chief counsel, Joseph A. Massa Jr., have been accused of "stonewalling" Pennsylvania's Interbranch Commission on Juvenile Justice in its attempt to evaluate the JCB's handling of a complaint against corrupt Luzerne County Judge Michael T. Conahan.

The same person who handled my complaint against Judge Allen, Joseph A. Massa Jr., allegedly acted as the "gatekeeper" for the judicial disciplinary system who kept the complaint against Judge Conahan away from the 12 member JCB.

"In our efforts to gather information from the JCB we have asked for it formally, informally, on the record and off the record," said John M. Cleland, chairman of the Interbranch Commission. "Our requests for meaningful information have been met with an unyielding refusal to provide the information based on an assertion of constitutional confidentiality."

According to The Legal Intelligencer, ever since the revelation in September that the JCB received the complaint against Conahan, the board's responses to inquiries have raised a host of troubling questions.

How many complaints were filed against Conahan? What did the board do with those complaints? When did the board speak with federal authorities?

What, if anything, did the JCB tell federal investigators regarding the complaints? What did the board do with the complaints between the time they were filed and the filing of federal charges? Why wasn't the board made aware of the allegations in the 2006 complaint?

Robert L. Byer, a former Commonwealth Court judge and former member of the Court of Judicial Discipline, said the JCB needs to be more forthcoming.

"This situation is so serious, there cannot be any sacred cows," said Byer, now an appellate lawyer with Duane Morris. "There needs to be full disclosure."

Byer said that two things "ought to happen" to address the questions surrounding the JCB's handling of the case and the judicial discipline system as a whole.

"The Supreme Court should give consideration of an independent investigation of the board," he said. "[And] I think the General Assembly should have a committee look at this and consider whether this situation calls for changes" to the state constitution regarding the JCB and the Court of Judicial Discipline.

Perhaps now serious questions will be asked and answered about the highly unusual domestic adoption of the internationally adopted and sex trafficked child named Allen.

Last fall we published a definitive statement on Masha Allen's pending wrongful adoption litigation, publicly expressing a long-held concern that "a traumatized, abused and exploited child like Masha needs a competent and independent decision maker to protect her legal rights and guard her pecuniary well being."

Now Masha's third attorney in three years, high-powered litigator Robert N. Hunn, is withdrawing from representing her citing "Irreconcilable differences" with Masha's mother Faith Allen. According to Hunn, "the irreconcilable differences have made it impossible for [my firm] to continue as counsel for the plaintiff. . . . The differences have not resolved but have worsened since . . . January 30, 2009."

Hunn, who extols his experience "representing victims in a wide variety of . . . complex tort litigation" is asking the federal district court in New Jersey to relieve him of all responsibility for the case he filed on September 15, 2008, forcing sixteen year old Masha to find new counsel within 60 days.

Masha Allen first came to international attention over four years ago. Concern for her well-being has echoed around the world from Vladimir Putin to John Kerry to Oprah and Nancy Grace. Her past and present circumstances are well-known to judges and government officials in Pennsylvania, Georgia, New Jersey and Washington, DC.

Tragically, no one can muster any outrage that justice delayed is justice denied and that the "irreconcilable differences" reverberate far beyond mere words on paper.

Thanks to Niels at Pound Pup Legacy for his continued coverage of this case.

Last week we inadvertently discovered that a Philadelphia law firm recently filed a lawsuit on behalf of Masha Allen. We hope that Masha may now finally begin the process of obtaining some measure of civil justice from the individuals and entities which were complicit in her ongoing sexual abuse and exploitation.

On September 27, 2006, Families Thru International Adoption potentate Keith Wallace repeatedly testified, under oath, before the United States Congress that he "didn't have much information" about Masha Allen's adoption even though he had been "invited here today to provide the committee with all the information I have about the adoption of Mr. Mancuso."

A close comparison of Wallace's spoken and written testimony, however, reveals that he left out a lot of unqualified praise for Jeannene Smith. Here's what Wallace says in his written testimony:

FTIA's working relationship with Ms. Smith was interesting, to say the least. Ms. Smith is very industrious and very intelligent. It was partially through her urging that FTIA developed some of its foreign adoption programs. Even if I had done research in starting a new program, Ms. Smith would always have additional and helpful information. I even traveled with Ms. Smith several times when starting a new program.

I was contacted by Ms. Smith in the second half of 1996. Ms. Smith asked if she could work with FTIA. I contracted with Ms. Smith to work as a northeast regional coordinator for FTIA.

. . .

During this period, I even wrote a letter of recommendation to the New Jersey licensing authority on her behalf. I had concluded that she could not work for FTIA, but I knew she was smart so I thought maybe she can run her own agency.

FTIA's "Russian facilitator," Serguei Dymtchenko, remains an important but overlooked figure in the Axis of Evil which ultimately developed and which links all the major players in Masha's adoption. Again, according to Wallace's written testimony:

Mr. Mancuso submitted his original dossier to Ms. Smith, but FTIA never received his original dossier. If Evansville had received an original dossier, we would have record of (1) receiving it, (2) reviewing it, (3) sending it to one of the Russian coordinators/facilitators we worked with at the time.

According to Jeannene Smith's sworn Congressional testimony: "everything that was done was with Mr. Wallace's authorization. Every bit of literature, every bit of information that was disseminated." Clearly either Smith or Wallace or both are lying. That much should shock no one.

And who exactly was FTIA's "Russian coordinator/facilitator . . . at the time?" Not surprisingly it was the exact same person who was ROTIA's Russian coordinator/facilitator at the time, Serguei Dymtchenko.

Here's Dymtchenko's sworn Congressional testimony:

Jeannene Smith introduced me to Keith Wallace and that meeting took place in her home office in Cherry Hill, New Jersey and I started working with FTIA.

What is shocking, however, is a news report dated February 10, 2003, which details FTIA's then-ongoing relationship with Serguei Dymtchenko in Azerbaijan.

FTIA representative Sergey Donchenko, residing in the United States, told Echo that his organization has undergone all the required registration stages--the cabinet, and the justice, education, health, and foreign ministries. Donchenko also stated that the legal basis of international adoption is regulated bilaterally--by both the U.S. and Azeri sides. "Kasimova must be aware of our organization's activities, since she was present at an event arranged at the U.S. Embassy in Azerbaijan with the participation of FTIA representatives," he said.

The news article continues:

One of the main questions that remains unanswered is why the adoption of Azeri children by U.S. citizens should involve huge expenses totaling $22,920, with $11,110 spent in Azerbaijan itself. The chair of the Children's Rights Defense League, Yusif Bekirov, said that Azeri law presumes the adoption procedure will be totally free and charged, "This phenomenon could only be explained by corruption among the officials dealing with adoption issues." He is particularly outraged by the orphanage donations, which are supposed to be an act of free will, but in Azerbaijan they are deemed a mandatory procedure in order to be able to proceed with an adoption application.

$omething about the money part of all thi$ $omehow $eem$ familiar and provide$ yet another crucial link or at lea$t and overriding motivational factor.

Unfortunately, Masha was not the only bungled adoption involving Dymtchenko and his harem. This post, entitled our adoption nightmare further details the relationship between ROTIA's eventual executive director, Marlene Seamans-Conn (who also testified before Congress), and Dymtchenko's 2001 joint venture and PA licensed international adoption agency American Adoptions Abroad (AAA). Readers might remember Seamans-Conn as the sister of renowned naturist Toni Egbert discussed previously in this blog.

We were told that no matter what adoption agency we were using, put "FTIA" where the form asked for the name of your agency. When I started to say that our agency was American Adoptions Abroad, he [Dymtchenko] stopped me before I could finish, and he repeated what he had just said. I did as I was told since just a few weeks before my trip we had received a letter and forms from Marlene stating that FTIA and AAA had formed a cooperative relationship in order for AAA to operate as an accredited agency in Russia. Serguei Dymtchenko is also the same Rostov facilitator used by Families Thru International Adoption (FTIA), located in Evansville, IN. Before receiving notification of this cooperative relationship from our agency, we had never even heard of FTIA. It was now clear that American Adoptions Abroad did not have their own accreditation from the Russian government; they were using FTIA's accreditation.

More on this adoption nightmare from the RipOff Report dated February 19, 2003:

We're posting this because of our frustration in dealing with two adoption agencies we have signed contracts with: American Adoptions Abroad (AAA) and Families Thru International Adoption (FTIA).

For over nine months now we've been trying to negotiate a settlement from a failed adoption we experienced in late April 2002.

After we posted our story to The Adoption Guide we were contacted by an attorney representing AAA ordering us to cease and desist from further postings and demanding we retract our post.

We were forced to hire an attorney as well, but negotiations have gone nowhere. We have also contacted numerous government agencies and regulatory authorities with equally discouraging results.

. . .

Just prior to the referral trip, we were required to sign a new contract with AAA/FTIA, which ironically came just a couple of days after we paid nearly $9,400 to the private company of AAA's International Program Director, Serguei Dymtchenko.

AAA's executive director, Marlene Seamans-Conn, misled us about a number of things, among them the Russian accreditation status of American Adoptions Abroad and the number of adoptions the agency had performed.

AAA used the accreditation, the facilitators, and the in-country staff of Families Thru International Adoption.

After we filed a complaint with the Pennsylvania Office of Attorney General, Bureau of Consumer Protection, one of FTIA's interpreters signed an affidavit regarding his role in our failed adoption experience where he states that he is employed in the Branch Office of FTIA in Russia.

We've read in several instances that this type of "umbrella" arrangement between accredited and unaccredited agencies is an illegal practice according to Russian adoption law.

After our story was posted on The Adoption Guide web site, we were contacted by FTIA's executive director, Keith Wallace.

He stated that he would speak to Serguei Dymtchenko, who also happens to be the Russian facilitator for FTIA, and see if he would return our money.

Needless to say, our money was never returned, and we didn't hear from Mr. Wallace again until he discovered that prospective FTIA families were contacting us regarding our experience with his agency.

The whole thing began to smell even worse when we were told by the New Jersey Division of Youth and Family Services that in 1998 FTIA was operating in the state of New Jersey without a license.

FTIA was given a chance to become licensed, but a year later FTIA was still unlicensed and was asked to close its NJ office.

Before Marlene Seamans-Conn started her own agency, she was working for another agency in New Jersey for which Serguei Dymtchenko also facilitated Russian adoptions.

Whenever payments were required for our adoption, we were always asked to send the money to either the home address of Ms. Seamans-Conn in Sewell, NJ, or to the home address of Serguei Dymtchenko in Toms River, NJ, but our payments to Mr. Dymtchenko were required to be marked payable to his own company, TJS.

We've also been told about Mr. Dymtchenko's involvement with another family's adoption nightmare where he was working for Adrienne Lewis of the now defunct Global adoption agency, which was shut down by state authorities in CA and LA where she was licensed.

. . .

The fact that there are agencies out there, AAA being one, that don't even have a social worker on staff is beyond belief.

Mike & Patty
Warren, Michigan
U.S.A.

So there it is folks: ROTIA<->Dymtchenko<->FTIA<->Dymtchenko<->AAA<->ROTIA. A story which begins and ends with ROTIA, with Dymtchenko and FTIA right smack in the middle.

Let me keep it as simple as possible. Since as early as December 5, 2004, the “intercountry adoption advocacy organization” Focus on Adoption has been a virtual rogues gallery of the leading unethical playas in international adoption.

On December 5, 2004, the FOA website listed Jeannene Smith as the organization’s treasurer. Smith’s name, along with Keith Wallace of Families thru International Adoption [FTIA], appeared prominently in Masha Allen’s October 7, 2003 Child Profile Study Report. Clearly Smith, along with Wallace, knew exactly what had become of child porn star Masha when Smith was promoted to an FOA officer. This from the FOA website:

Jeannene Smith is the founder and CEO of Reaching Out thru International Adoption, Inc., [ROTIA] a fully recognized non-profit humanitarian aid and child placement organization… She has provided testimony and position statements to Congressional leaders and the media on various international adoption issues such as the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000, the Hague Convention and implementation issues both in the US and abroad, child trafficking and international adoption reform and has presented seminars on international adoption issues, practices and processes both in the US and abroad.

Jeannene has remained involved in legislative issues, serving in the past on several JCICS committees and currently serves on the JCICS Hague Committee, Ethics Committee, and as the Chair of the Cambodia Caucus. In addition, Jeannene served on the Advisory Council on Intercountry Adoption (ACIA) Hague Committee.

Next up, FTIA. Despite Keith Wallace’s desperate attempts during his Congressional testimony to distance himself and FTIA from Smith, ROTIA and the Masha Allen adoption, his lackey Chris Huber was and REMAINS a member of FOA to this day. This from the FOA website dated December 5, 2004:

Chris Huber is the Latin American Program Manager for Families Thru International Adoption, a 501C3 not for profit international placing agency licensed in Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Chris has lived and worked in Central and South America for almost 15 years and currently supervises adoption programs in Guatemala and Brazil as well as developing new programs in other Latin American countries… He joined FOA to help assure that children around the world continue to have the opportunity to be adopted into a loving family.

Gee Keith, despite your Congressional denunciations, you must have thought we were just too damn stupid to notice this connection. And until today, I guess we were.

On to yet another FOA sycophant, Carl Jenkins. Jenkins didn’t need the notoriety of the Masha Allen debacle to become sullied. Instead he created his very own scandal in a Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act [RICO] lawsuit which is pending before the Second Circuit Court of Appeals. I should know because I represent the adoptive parents and the local adoption agency who are plaintiffs in the litigation. Welcome to the MarshLaw/ChildLaw club Carl!!

This from the FOA website dated December 5, 2004:

Carl Jenkins is a former litigation attorney who now consults in non-profit restructuring, insurance coverage issues and wrongful adoption defense. He is also General Counsel for World Child® International, a Maryland-licensed, international adoption agency.

Carl is actively involved in the Hague Accreditation process through several organizations and has also served such varied community interest groups as: Peer Reviewer for the Council on Accreditation; At Large member on the Lawyer-to-Lawyer Committee for the Maryland Sixth Circuit; and served as Counsel to the Clergy for the Holy Name Order (Franciscans). He has spoken or moderated panels at Resolve, F.A.C.E., Quad A and JCICS conferences regularly during the past several years. He also has been published in Adoptive Family Magazine and other periodic journals on adoption issues.

Now a shout out to my other fav peeps at the National Council for Adoption, who just welcomed Jenkins’s agency World Child International as a new member, and some free advice: you should always Google “marshlaw” + “proposed NCFA member” as part of your rigorous due diligence. Just a friendly hint to help you avoid future embarrassment.

Moving right on through FOA’s opium den we find, on the April 5, 2005 version of their website, media spin-mistress Cindy Peck. Take it away Cin (in her very own words):

Cynthia Peck is a persuasive adoption advocate who has worn many hats in the adoption field for thirty years. She brings to the FOA Board a perspective honed as an educator, an agency practitioner, an adoptive parent of 8 young adults and a writer. For 20 years, Cindy edited and published Roots and Wings Adoption Magazine, which merged with Adoption TODAY in 2000. She is the author of Parents at Last: Celebrating Adoption and the New Pathways to Parenthood (Random House/Crown). Currently, Cindy is the editor of Fostering Families TODAY Magazine, which she co-founded with publisher Richard Fischer in 2001. She has served on the founding Boards of two international adoption agencies and on the Board of JCICS.

A lot of good action advocacy words there Cynthia. A real addition to the team with street creds to boot. Way to go girl!

Now right before all that REAL BAD NEWS about Masha broke on December 1, 2005 in the led-by-Jeannene-Smith-ever-ethical-international-adoption-industry’s universally reviled ABC Primetime exposé, FOA added this curious disclaimer to their website:

Focus On Adoption is a volunteer, non-profit organization. Most of our activities are funded through the donations of adoption professionals. Focus On Adoption does not have the ability to audit the ethical policies of its supporters. While we hope that only adoption professionals who agree with and operate within proper ethical standards actively support us, this is not something enforceable by Focus On Adoption. Therefore, private individuals researching adoption providers should not view an agency’s support of Focus On Adoption as being anything more than the fact that the agency has donated to help us with our mission. Support of Focus On Adoption should not be considered an endorsement of any sort on our part.

Whew, that certainly cleared things up, leaving FOA blissfully absolved as far as all that distasteful Masha pedophile stuff goes. Wouldn’t want the unsuspecting public and future international adoption consumers to get the wrong idea. And all of this just in time to welcome Tom DiFilipo to the FOA board!

Tom. How are you? Folks you remember Tom. Tom is the guy who now runs the Joint Council on International Children Services or JCICS in international adopt-speak. You can read all about him right here on this very blog.

Tommy’s the guy (can I call you Tommy?) who allowed ROTIA (yep that’s Jeannene Smith’s agency AGAIN) to resign from JCICS right before they had to undertake the nasty job of SELF-REGULATION. Yeah that’s right. An INVESTIGATION of ROTIA for Masha’s adoption which I had to request because, after all, what did they know about Jeannene Smith and ROTIA anyway. That is, before I pointed it out to them.

I know I know, keeping up with the news is such a challenge these days even when your peeps attend and testify at the actual Congressional hearing where Jeannene was called a liar and threatened with jail and all that. But given the heavy hitter which Tommy certainly is, he’s got TONS of Congressional hearings to worry about. I can certainly understand how this little ole’ hearing slipped his mind.

And what a coincidence. By the time I told Tom all about it, ROTIA had resigned JCICS, and Jeannene had packed up her pony and headed off into the sunset only to be re-emerge like a phoenix six months later as ChildsPromise. Boy, Tom must have a BIG JOB keeping up with all those ethical adoption agencies considering all the name changes, scandals, lawsuits and such. But here he is in his own words from the November 25, 2005 FOA website. Take it away Tom:

Tom DiFilipo currently serves as Vice-President of Programs & Services for the CASI Foundation. He recently served as Chief Operations Officer for International Children’s Alliance, Board Chairperson of Discovery Outreach and as an independent consultant in management practices for a variety of non-profits. In the private sector, Tom has held executive management positions with Sorbee International, Mars Inc. and Pace Brokers. Tom is the father of three children, two of whom joined his family through adoption in Russia.

Curiously, right around this time FOA stopped accepting new members. I mean with members like these, who needs more members right. And one can certainly appreciate their fears because once the Masha story broke there were sure to be THOUSANDS upon THOUSANDS of desperate and eager single middle aged men willing to do anything to jump on the pedophile, I mean ETHICAL and RESPONSIBLE, adoption bandwagon.

All with the purest of motives of course, of course, but still, all that cash, the paperwork, applications and all the peer vetting, careful review, background checks and such. I for one can understand how more “official members” would be just way way too much for FOA handle, especially after Masha. Thankfully anyone can still support the cause by donating. Give early and give often. “Think of the children. This is what it’s all about.”

Here’s the pithy disclaimer FOA put on their site sometime in the fall of 2005:

While Focus on Adoption no longer has official “members”, below are suggested donations to help keep our mission alive. Donating annually at the suggested rates may entitle you to discounts on conferences and events sponsored by Focus on Adoption.

Last but not least (don’t worry girl, I didn’t forget you of all my homey-gs) is FOA board member Debbie Spivack. Debbie actually gets all the credit for opening my mind to the wonders of FOA. Let’s let Deb rap for herself before we take a closer look at her rep.

Debbie Spivack is an attorney whose practice focuses on adoption and family building… . She has worked with client families and organizations over the years to assist them in achieving their goals, and has been a vocal and effective advocate on adoption policy issues.

Most recently, Debbie served as the Executive Director of Reaching Out thru International Adoption, Inc. In this position, she was involved in all aspects of placing children from countries in Asia, Eastern Europe and Central America with families throughout the United States. She worked closely with adoptive parent clients on all aspects of their cases, and worked closely with foreign counterparts to address legal issues on the foreign processing side of their cases. She also developed relationships with foreign attorneys, orphanages, and government officials to create new adoption programs and provide humanitarian aid.

Debbie has also been an effective voice to advocate in favor of adoption policy to enable children without families find homes. Most notably, she advocated effectively for appropriate modifications to the regulations proposed in 2003 to implement the Intercountry Adoption Act of 2000 and Hague Convention in the United States.The Hague Regulation Analysis she drafted was widely favored among adoption advocates for its damaging legal and policy impact, and, ultimately its suggestions were adopted substantially into the final draft of the Regulations, issued in February 2006. She also served an active member of a number of committees analyzing the Regulations (including the JCICS Hague Regulation committee and the Hague Committee of Advisory Council on Intercountry Adoption, a collaboration of national organizations recognized as leaders in the ethical and professional practice of adoption and child welfare services). Debbie further served as the JCICS Chairperson of the Azerbaijan Caucus and as the Co-Chairperson of the ICARE Government Affairs Committee. In 2005, Debbie was awarded with the JCICS 110% Member Award in appreciation for the work performed on the ICARE legislation analysis.

Yo Deb that’s a heavy rep and a lotta words. But we’re trying to take a comprehensive look here so let’s not forget your premier role in all this international adoption stuff. Folks are you ready? Now s l o w l y open your eyes …

Speak for the Children: Little Things Really Can Make a Difference by Debbie Spivack. No better words have been spoken and no greater position taken than those who SPEAK FOR THE CHILDREN!!!! Fearless souls like Debbie Spivack. Filled with zeal … damn now I’ll just say it (I used to be an evangelical) filled with the HOLY SPIRIT! (Debbie you and Judge Cheryl Allen should DEFINITELY get together. Cheryl meet Debbie, Deb meet Cher. Judge A. herself played another pivotal role in poor Masha Allen’s life, but more on that later. What is it about Pennsylvania, folks. What can it be …)

Now given the miraculous power of the internet, you gentle readers, and the entire world can carefully read and thoughtfully consider the finely honed words of Ms. Spivak in their exact context in April 2005.

A quick review of the timeline here. By October 2003 Jeannene Smith and her cronies know all about Masha’s horrible fate. December 2004 Smith become treasurer of FOA. FTIA’s Huber is also ensconced on the FOA board along with RICO Jenkins. By April 2005 the Disney World Girl Masha Allen’s story has appeared in the international news. An eager press corps can not be far behind in their search for the truth behind the story. Media maven Cindy Peck is ready to spin the humanitarian angle. “THINK OF THE CHILDREN” becomes the universal battle cry. Lawyer Spivack rises to the challenge.

The result is Speak for the Children: Little Things Really Can Make a Difference which was posted on the FOA member listserve. It was clearly a proactive effort “[g]iven the recent wave of negative publicity, ROTIA thought it might be useful to share this article with adoptive parents and professionals in the hopes of working together for the benefit of the children.”

Elizabeth Bartholet, a Harvard law professor who gave the keynote speech at the January 2005 FOA conference, provides a veneer of intellectual respectability and a much needed bibliographic reference. No time to worry about conflicts of interest. Not when there are children and the entire institution of international adoption which needs saving.

Spivack’s apologetic issues to the faithful with Masha as its centerpiece. It becomes the Mein Kampf in FOA’s effort to turn back the negative publicity associated with the Masha story. Read it (don’t miss Steve Osborn’s comments at the bottom - a must read!!), then digest my commentary.

And finally look what ultimately happens. Masha gets erased from the story. In the version Spivack eventually posts on her lawfirm’s website, “Masha” becomes “Jenya” a self-styled “child like yours… . saved from a life of prostitution and drugs by a family from halfway around the world who had the resources and desire to care for her.” If only this much could be said for Masha Allen. If only.

Yesterday I learned that the international adoption agency most responsible for Masha Allen's placement with pedophile Matthew Mancuso (originally known as Reaching Out Thru International Adoption [ROTIA] and recently renamed ChildPromise) is discontinuing operations.

A message from CP's executive director Sonia Baxter states that "due to our recent sad announcement regarding ceasing adoption activities, we are receiving many calls. Our goal is to insure that there's a calm and organized process to transferring cases and completing adoptions."

Tragically, this is just one more defendant who will escape civil liability for the criminal acts perpetrated against Masha Allen. Criminal acts which, despite outrage from Congress and pledges from Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen A. Zappala Jr. and United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan, have been completely forgotten.

Take Jeannene Smith, the New Jersey baby-broker who gave Masha to Mancuso. According to NJ criminal law, any "person . . . other than an approved agency which pays, seeks to pay, receives, or seeks to receive money or other valuable consideration in connection with the placement of a child for adoption shall be guilty of a crime." Smith was running an unlicensed and unapproved NJ adoption agency when she accepted lots of money from Mancuso for Masha.

The penalty for this crime? Between five and ten years in prison and a $150,000 fine. And yet Jeannene Smith remains at large, an adoption reform advocate who still hasn't paid her debt to either society or Masha.

And what about Pennsylvania, Mancuso's home at the time of the "adoption." In a 1987 decision, the Pennsylvania Supreme Court held that adoption intermediaries are not allowed to accept ANY PAYMENT for their services. If they do they are "dealing in humanity" which is punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $50,000 fine.

The Court's lofty words are as true today as they were over 20 years ago:

"The early history of this nation is marred by a practice where human beings were bought and sold like merchandise. Powerful profit motives prompted violent opposition to those who perceived error in the practice, and a traumatic civil war was fought to ensure that no human being be transferred for consideration. By now the practice should be so abhorrent to every American that no one would traffic in human life for profit. Unfortunately, the lessons of the past are already forgotten; and due to the current small supply of babies available for adoption relative to the demand for those infants by prospective parents who are ready to pay, if they must, to get an infant, our society has experienced a degree of principle-shifting."

Sadly the lessons of the even recent past are quickly forgotten, ignored, brushed aside, and subverted, with self-righteous "principle-shifting" serving as the justification for thinly veiled dealing in humanity. As Tom Atwood, president of NCFA, trumpted in response to Masha's adoption "I mean, adoption is a wonderful thing. Think of the children. This is what it's all about."

Which brings me to Cambria County. For much of the past two years I have been imploring judges, politicians, social workers and government officials to act promptly to protect and secure Masha's civil legal rights.

Whether it involved filing an injunction against child pornographers like Peter Sotos or issuing DMCA takedown notices to websites like www.mycandidteens.com which shamelessly sports Masha's picture on its homepage (as a marker indicating that Masha's pornographic images are inside the pay site), those who claim to defend Masha's health and safety must champion her civil legal rights as well.

This is what the State Bar of Georgia told me in December 2006 and again in June 2007 as Masha's last counsel of record. And this is what I told Cambria County Judges Norman Krumenacker and Timothy Creany in December 2007: when an irresolvable conflict of interest exists between parties, a guardian must be appointed to insure the child's own interests.

The Philadelphia Bar Association agrees. In Ethics Opinion 96-3, it found that a lawyer should act with commitment and dedication to the interests of the client and with zeal in advocacy upon the client's behalf. The opinion also notes that this obligation exists despite opposition, obstruction or personal inconvenience to the lawyer. I have certainly experienced plenty of that.

As time passes, Masha's chances of recovering anything from any of the countless individuals and entities which damaged her decreases. Witnesses die or disappear. Companies go bankrupt and reorganize. Funds get dissipated. People forget.

Just this week the adoption agency that traded Masha's humanity ceased operation. Some of the potential defendants in the highly celebrated (but not yet implemented) Masha's Law cases have died or disappeared. Matthew Mancuso has spent some or all of his significant wealth defending himself in criminal actions in Pennsylvania and Florida.

We can not legitimately advocate for the health and safety of innocent victims of crime without acting decisively to safeguard the civil legal rights of children like Masha. Justice delayed is justice denied. Not only criminal justice but civil justice as well. And yet the "denials" continue. Surely Jeannene's prison wages can help pay Masha's bills.

The United States District Attorney in Pittsburgh, Mary Beth Buchanan, has widely taken credit for rescuing Masha Allen and delivering Matthew Mancuso to federal prison. Now Buchanan is once again capturing national attention for a controversial obscenity prosecution involving fictional stories on the website RedRoseStories.com about the kidnapping, rape and torture of children.

The creator of the site, Karen Fletcher, is a social recluse who missed several court hearings in the case, United State v. Fletcher, because she is uncomfortable leaving her home in rural Pennsylvania.

Fletcher claims she wrote the stories for therapeutic value to help get over the abuse she suffered as a child. One of the rules for her web site, which her attorney said had about 20 members, was that no one was allowed to post pictures.

What makes this prosecution significant is that there has not been a case applying obscenity laws to text since the United States Supreme Court refined the test for obscenity in its 1973 case Miller v. California.

It is also significant that Buchanan has apparently ignored the obscene and highly exploitive writings of Peter Sotos who celebrates the girl Buchanan rescued, Masha Allen, as the world's first "child porn star."

Despite a national call to action last sumer, and numerous appeals to state officials in Georgia and Pennsylvania—including Pennsylvania Superior Court Judge Cheryl Allen who Masha is named for—the Sotos book Show Adult continues to sell briskly at Amazon.com.

Sotos, who was the first person in the United States convicted for child pornography in the 1970s, is a seemingly compelling target. In less than a year, Show Adult has sold thousands of copies and Sotos enjoys a cult-like following throughout the world. Fletcher, on the other hand, has few resources and even fewer subscribers.

Amy Ginensky, a First Amendment attorney with Pepper Hamilton, said in an e-mail to The Legal Intelligencer that under the "contemporary community standards" standard of the Miller test, it would be difficult in this day and age to show that Fletcher's words were prurient.

She said one might wonder why the government is prosecuting this case instead of focusing on "real issues." "While child pornography prosecutions make sense, because there are victims involved, here there appears to be no victim at all," Ginensky said.

So why the official indifference to Masha's ongoing commercial and sexual exploitation? Why hasn't this crusading United States Attorney stood up for a "real victim" of child pornography, Masha Allen?

United States v. Fletcher will likely be tried in the next several months. For Masha Allen justice is a long time coming.

Judicial ethics typically require judges to uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary, avoid even the appearance of impropriety, and perform their duties impartially.

Last month, the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board dismissed a complaint in Masha's domestic adoption where the jurist who decided the adoption, Judge Cheryl Lynn Allen, was the adoptive parent, Faith Allen's, former roommate.

In addition, prior to finalization, the single adoptive parent changed her last name from Lynn Ginn to the judge's last name (becoming Faith Allen) with the judge's court attorney representing Lynn/Faith in the name change proceeding.

Finally, Judge Allen wasn't even assigned to the family court when the adoption was finalized.

A detailed newspaper story about the adoption--complete with the judge's picture--which ran on the day of the adoption in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette formed the basis for the complaint.

The Pennsylvania Code of Judicial Conduct states that "judges should participate in establishing, maintaining, and enforcing, and should themselves observe, high standards of conduct so that the integrity and independence of the judiciary may be preserved." Canon 1

Judges must "avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all their activities" and " should not allow their family, social, or other relationships to influence their judicial conduct or judgment." Canon 2

Judges should not knowingly permit others to convey the impression that they are in a special position to influence the judge and "should not testify voluntarily as a character witness." Canon 2

Judges should perform the duties of their office impartially and diligently. They should abstain from public comment about a pending proceeding in any court. Canon 3(A)(6)

Finally, judges should disqualify themselves in a proceeding in which their impartiality might reasonably be questioned, including but not limited to instances where they have a personal bias or prejudice concerning a party, or personal knowledge of disputed evidentiary facts concerning the proceeding. Canon 3(C)(1)(a)

After spending almost a year investigating, the Board determined that there was "insufficient indication of judicial misconduct to justify further inquiry" and dismissed the complaint.

Did the Pennsylvania Judicial Conduct Board get it right? What do you think?

When internationally trafficked children end up in the child welfare system, it's convenient to cover up a bad international adoption story with a good domestic adoption story. After all, the institution of adoption remains sacrosanct. If "guns don't kill people, people kill people," then truly "adoption doesn't harm children, pedophiles harm children." Adoption = good. Pedophiles = bad. Unfortunately pedophiles adopting = a public relations nightmare.

Luckily the Masha Allen International Pedophile Adoption Nightmare happened not in far off lefty Oregon, where the United States Department of State failed in its effort to silence the local prosecutor in the William Peckenpaugh International Pedophile Adoption Nightmare, but in the home town of Bush loyalist United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan.

Buchanan, who is often described as a "rising star" in Republican politics, was a high-ranking DOJ official who is apparently angling for a federal judicial appointment or perhaps a shot at political office. She is also playing to her political sponsor Rick Santorum's Republican base by aggressively prosecuting pornographers and considers "enforcing morality" one of her chief responsibilities as a U.S. Attorney. Her career has been carefully incubated in the Bush Justice Department, both under first Attorney General John Ashcroft, and later under Alberto Gonzalez.

Not surprisingly, Ms. Buchanan has a lot of enemies. She also has a full-time press agent -- a novelty to her office -- and has reportedly misused senior staff to ghost-write her speeches and articles, employing taxpayer dollars to further her own career. She has reinforced this impression by making court appearances in high-profile cases in which she has no personal involvement.

Who better to navigate the rocky shoals of Masha's child-trafficking-international-adoption imbroglio than someone who could not and would not say no. Not to the State Department. Not to the Right to Life inspired National Council for Adoption. And not to the god and country child saving adoption industry. Throw in some child porn and Mary Beth Buchanan was uniquely qualified to spin a bad international adoption story into a good domestic adoption story.

After she told CNN's Jonathan Mann about Masha's "very, very wonderful life," he asked her "if the adoption authorities had done a thorough investigation, would they have seen any sign of the horrible things that were to come?" Buchanan's response, "Well. . . I can't really comment on what the adoption agency did in their evaluation of him or in determining whether his home would be an appropriate home for the child."

According to Buchanan, after the FBI rescued Masha from Matthew Mancuso "they then immediately placed the girl in a foster home, and after she was adopted by a family, they moved her out of Pennsylvania."

Masha's metamorphosis from international adoption outcast to domestic adoption success story happened in a mere eleven months, even while the average time to finalize any adoption in Allegheny County was 22 months and the wait was four years for a child Masha's age.

Just days after Masha was placed in a foster home, a veteran employee of Allegheny County's Office of Children, Youth and Families [CYFS] filed a federal whistleblower lawsuit claiming she was fired when she tried to tell the public how seriously children were endangered by the agency's understaffing.

"I have personally experienced the dysfunction of the agency and I have personally experienced our agency putting children in our care at risk," declared Penne Fabian. Among the statistics Fabian uncovered were those showing high caseworker vacancy rates resulting in workers visiting families only 42% of the time they were required to.

A little dysfunction, however, could not and would not stop Masha's domestic adoption juggernaut. As Thomas Atwood, president of NCFA, chortled on CNN when speaking about Masha's case, "think of the children, this is what it's all about." According to Masha's case worker "the folks downtown pushed the adoption, pushed it as a good home and wanted it to happen. They agreed and made it happen fast."

Making it happen fast included maintaining the myth of Masha's Russian abandonment and orphan-ness. In the Child Profile Report for Masha written by Michele A. Cunko, Jeanne Smith of Reaching Out Thru International Adoption and Keith Wallace of Families Thru International Adoption all helped reinforce the presumed futility of Masha's reunification with her real family:

"Masha is presumed to have been in the care of her birth mother for the first four years of her life. Masha's birth mother was reported to have stabbed Masha in the neck when Masha was around four or five years old and Masha bears a scar from this injury. Foster mother advised that she was told Masha was hospitalized after having been stabbed in the neck by her birth mother and that Masha was placed in an orphanage when she was released from the hospital. Masha lived in an orphanage in Russia for about eighteen months while agencies sought an adoptive home for her."

According to Masha's Russian forever-sister-by-birth Oksana, all of this is a lie.

Although Masha told Cunko "that she has an older brother and an older sister and that she once knew their names but they were Russian names and she has forgotten them . . . there [was] no information in the CYFS files regarding Masha's siblings." Most astoundingly, "there are no other reports of any psychological or psychiatric issues or concerns."

With Masha's Russian family forgotten and disposed of, psychological and psychiatric issues and concerns minimized, and a "very, very wonderful life ahead of her," Judge Cheryl Allen, a conservative Republican right to life rising star, made the good adoption happen fast.

Judge Allen, whose outspoken evangelical Christian views including prayer in her courtroom have caused controversy, even borrowed a page from her mentor Mary Beth Buchanan by grabbing a little press along the way. After helping former roommate-turned-Masha's-foster-mother change her name to Allen, Judge Allen literally acquired naming rights in the Masha Allen epos, personally finalizing the adoption even while sitting in the criminal court.

Six months later, the FBI reportedly gave the newly christened Faith and Masha Allen a "fresh start" by moving them out of Pennsylvania. Had those pesky Canadians not intervened, raising the specter of the bad international adoption once again for everyone to see, this sad little story would have been the proverbial ride off into the happy adoption sunset (without anyone knowing any better).

Mere bureaucratic bumbling, (and not a cover-up?), forced Masha's story back onto the front page. Buchanan offered this explanation on June 8, 2005:

"Well, the federal case ended in February of 2004, and it was at that time when the Toronto police released one photo of the child to federal enforcement. The child at the time was of a different age than the child was in the photos that had been part of the federal case, so that's why it was very difficult to make a match between these photos, because the Toronto police only provided a very small sample."

Even though United States Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan "couldn't really comment" about the obvious shortcomings in the international adoption process three years after Masha was removed from Matthew Mancuso, what is clear is that one of the most aggressive federal law enforcement officers in the country utterly failed to indict a single agency or person connected with Masha's international adoption.

During last year's Congressional hearing into Masha's international adoption, Congressman Dr. Michael C. Burgess's summed it up best when he said "I don't understand why someone is not in jail." Perhaps he was asking the wrong person. Mary Beth Buchanan was nowhere to be found.