http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/aplocal_story.asp?category=6420&slug=H
I%20Cambodian%20Adoptions

Tuesday, January 6, 2004 · Last updated 6:16 p.m. PT

Kauai woman accused of adoption scheme expected to surrender

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

HONOLULU -- A Kauai woman accused of orchestrating the purchase of Cambodian
children and offering them to adoptive parents is expected to surrender
Wednesday to federal authorities in Seattle.

Lauryn Galindo, 52, of Hanalei, is named in a federal indictment as a
conspirator in the adoption scheme, along with her sister, Lynn Devlin of
Mercer Island, Wash. Galindo and her lawyer, Mark Lane, are expected to meet
with federal attorneys for the first time Wednesday.

Devlin, who runs Seattle International Adoptions Inc., pleaded guilty Dec. 10
to falsifying documents to obtain U.S. visas for Cambodian children. She is
scheduled to be sentenced March 12 in Seattle.

Galindo has arranged hundreds of adoptions - both through her sister's firm and
other adoption agencies - since first traveling to Cambodia in the early 1990s.
Among her clients is actress Angelina Jolie, who adopted a Cambodian boy two
years ago using Galindo's service.

Galindo has often been portrayed as a hero to Cambodian children for overcoming
wartime conflicts, government bureaucracy and other obstacles to find homes for
unwanted and impoverished orphans. Her spokesman, Steve Jaffe, said she
maintains her innocence and is cooperating with federal investigators.

U.S. authorities have been concerned about Cambodian adoptions for some time
and suspended American citizens' adoptions from that country altogether two
years ago.

The Nov. 6 grand jury indictment claims Galindo and Devlin obtained visas
illegally between 1997 and 1999 "to expedite the adoption process" and "enhance
their profits." It claims the two led U.S. immigration officials to believe the
children were orphans, when in fact they were bought from their mothers.

The two women charged about $10,500 for their adoptions, according to court
documents.


Kathy
"To err is human; to forgive, divine."

>The two women charged about $10,500 for their adoptions, according to courtdocuments.


But, but, but...that is a far cry from the $350,000 price tag stated earlier.

I wonder when we'll get the truth.




P2P

>>The two women charged about $10,500 for their adoptions, according to courtdocuments.But, but, but...that is a far cry from the $350,000 price tag stated earlier.I wonder when we'll get the truth.P2P


For what it's worth, I have an article somewhere that states that the U.S.
attorney specifically said that no children would be removed from their
adoptive parents, regardless of what the investigation finds.

This leads me to believe that the original AJ story, from a British website
akin to the National Enquirer, has taken on a life of its own, with subsequent
reports failing to check the facts.

AJ was given a Cambodian passport for the baby before she completed the
Cambodian side of the adoption. She then had him delivered to her in Africa
where she was making a film. Later on, she went back to Cambodia to complete
the Cambodian adoption, and then she got her visa to take him back to the U.S.

This is pretty irregular on the Cambodian side but basically legal on the U.S.
side. Whether she paid a bundle extra for this special handling is an open
question. But the $300k+ figure sounds pretty high to me.

She might have been given special treatment by the Cambodian government because
of her humanitarian and fundraising efforts there. Or maybe someone paid people
off for her.


Roberta
mom to Juliette, 7, adopted from China

"Palms2pines" <palms2pines@aol.comh8spam> wrote in message
news:20040107151148.04155.00002723@mb-m29.aol.com...The two women charged about $10,500 for their adoptions, according to
courtdocuments. But, but, but...that is a far cry from the $350,000 price tag stated
earlier. I wonder when we'll get the truth. P2P

It's a sliding scale. The richer and more famous you are, the more you pay.

Marley

robyf@aol.comnojunk (Roberta) wrote in message news:<20040107154105.15319.00002353@mb-m12.aol.com>...The two women charged about $10,500 for their adoptions, according to courtdocuments.But, but, but...that is a far cry from the $350,000 price tag stated earlier.I wonder when we'll get the truth.P2P For what it's worth, I have an article somewhere that states that the U.S. attorney specifically said that no children would be removed from their adoptive parents, regardless of what the investigation finds.
It's baby trafficking. The people who bought them are no longer
adoptive parents. Wait till these kids all find out.

Di

This leads me to believe that the original AJ story, from a British website akin to the National Enquirer, has taken on a life of its own, with subsequent reports failing to check the facts. AJ was given a Cambodian passport for the baby before she completed the Cambodian side of the adoption. She then had him delivered to her in Africa where she was making a film. Later on, she went back to Cambodia to complete the Cambodian adoption, and then she got her visa to take him back to the U.S. This is pretty irregular on the Cambodian side but basically legal on the U.S. side. Whether she paid a bundle extra for this special handling is an open question. But the $300k+ figure sounds pretty high to me. She might have been given special treatment by the Cambodian government because of her humanitarian and fundraising efforts there. Or maybe someone paid people off for her. Roberta mom to Juliette, 7, adopted from China

>It's baby trafficking. The people who bought them are no longeradoptive parents. Wait till these kids all find out.Di

Then what? Ya think they'll stab their parents and torch the house?


P2P