US missionaries charged with Haiti child abduction

Scofflaw

One of those times when you just have to say "what??".

Ten American missionaries arrested as they tried to take 33 Haitian children across the border to the Dominican Republic were charged last night with child abduction and criminal conspiracy.

The Baptists from Idaho, who claimed to be rescuing orphaned children from the chaos that followed the earthquake in Haiti, appeared at a hearing in Port-au-Prince where they were told that there was sufficient evidence to charge them and that their case was being sent to an investigative judge.

Ms Silsby had founded a group that wanted to found an orphanage for Haitian children in November. After the earthquake she and her colleagues became convinced that they needed to act immediately and leased a hotel in the Dominican Republic where the children would stay while they worked to establish an orphanage.

Working through Haitian intermediaries and with the advice of Jean Sainvil, a Haitian-born pastor now living in America, they gathered 33 children, loaded them onto a bus and proceeded to the border. They did not have the Government approval required to take children out of the country, nor did the children have passports.

After their arrest it quickly emerged that many of the children were not orphans.

Arriving at the court from the judicial police headquarters where they have been detained in cells for the past week, Laura Silsby, the leader of the group, told reporters: “We expect God’s will to be done. And we will be released.”

Full article here.

amused,
Scofflaw

Daftendirekt

The mind boggles.

At least they didn't get away with it though.

Dades

So basically God's will was that they gather children - any children - and put them in an orphanage? Imagine being the parent of one of the "orphans"? I really hope waving their crosses about doesn't let them get away with it.

Hi Scofflaw!

hiorta

These thugs are no 'missionaries' in the religious sense, although they may have been on a private organ-harvesting mission.

Zombrex

hiorta wrote: »

These thugs are no 'missionaries' in the religious sense, although they may have been on a private organ-harvesting mission.

Of course they are missionaries in the religious sense, missionaries have always come to countries and started doing things with a "we know best" attitude

robindch

Our friends over in Landover Baptist got caught as well:

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/2010/february/helotryhaiti.html

Turtwig

robindch wrote: »

Our friends over in Landover Baptist got caught as well:

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/2010/february/helotryhaiti.html

I keep getting mixed up here, is that the parody site?

Zombrex

robindch wrote: »

Our friends over in Landover Baptist got caught as well:

http://www.landoverbaptist.org/2010/february/helotryhaiti.html

"We're working for Jesus! And the Son of the Living God does not require any documentation!"

Kind of sums up this sort of nonsense.

[EDIT] Oh wait, that is a piss take site. Whoops [/EDIT]

sink

Malty_T wrote: »

I keep getting mixed up here, is that the parody site?

Yeah, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. That's the funny thing about fundies, they're so bonkers you can't tell the legitimate ones apart from the parodies.

robindch

Malty_T wrote: »

I keep getting mixed up here, is that the parody site?

I can't imagine any genuine site selling thusly:

http://www.cafepress.com/landoverbaptist/3661313

:eek:

robindch

sink wrote: »

Yeah, but you wouldn't know it to look at it. That's the funny thing about fundies, they're so bonkers you can't tell the legitimate ones apart from the parodies.

Aka Poe's Law:

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Poe%27s_Law

sink

robindch wrote: »

Aka Poe's Law:

http://rationalwiki.com/wiki/Poe%27s_Law

I knew I had read that somewhere but had forgotten where. Thanks.

Galvasean

Has it been established what their motive was? Apparently they wanted to bring them to a home outside the country, breaking all sorts of laws in the process.

Flamed Diving

May I pre-empt the apologists by suggesting that this has something to do with the devil?

Rev Hellfire

We can only hope that the parents of these children who willingly assisted in this heinous crime are also suitably punished.

The sooner people learn that the appropriate way to help people is to use paypal, the better off we'll all be.

Rev Hellfire

Flamed Diving wrote: »

May I pre-empt the apologists by suggesting that this has something to do with the devil?

You may the devil made them stupid, that's about it.

robindch

Flamed Diving wrote: »

this has something to do with the devil?

My money's on Original Sin.

Tim Robbins

I thought the Baptists had abducted you Scofflaw! Good to see you dropping by to say hello.

Gurgle

Well-meaning bible-belt christians, I doubt there were any sinister intentions just the 'Daddy knows best' mentality.

robindch

Turns out that there's a slightly sulphurous smell surrounding the lady who lead the American group:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/americas/05idaho.html

In addition to having a trail of legal claims against her, it seems that Ms Silsby is also a divorcée who left her own young kids behind to travel to Haiti to make off with other people's kids. Not exactly the perfect picture of the perfect christian mum, I'd have thought.

Zombrex

robindch wrote: »

Turns out that there's a slightly sulphurous smell surrounding the lady who lead the American group:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/02/05/world/americas/05idaho.html

In addition to having a trail of legal claims against her, it seems that Ms Silsby is also a divorcée who left her own young kids behind to travel to Haiti to make off with other people's kids. Not exactly the perfect picture of the perfect christian mum, I'd have thought.

Meh, sounds like the typical person who "finds" religion.

Galvasean

Fine Christians indeed. At least they only kidknapped the kids as opposed to raping them or setting them on fire.

Flamed Diving

Galvasean wrote: »

Fine Christians indeed. At least they only kidknapped the kids as opposed to raping them or setting them on fire.

Religion has come a long way...

LostinKildare

Wow, Satan has entered the building! It seems that the missionaries' lawyer is wanted in El Salvador for sex trafficking. And by Interpol and the US for various other crimes including bank fraud, theft of govt property and violation of parole. From the New York Times:

Two days after a group of 10 Americans were taken into custody in Haiti last month, a man who has emerged as a suspect in a sex trafficking ring and who has an array of other legal charges against him called up the Idaho church where 5 of them attend, portraying himself as an attorney who could help free the group at no cost, interviews show.

After failing to contact any of the approved lawyers provided by the United States Embassy in Port-au-Prince, two relatives of the detained Americans returned the call from the man, Jorge Puello, which came in during Sunday services on Jan. 31, and agreed for him to help on a pro-bono basis, said Terry Michaelson, an attorney for the church, the Central Valley Baptist Church.



It was only later that relatives learned that Mr. Puello — who spoke to the media on behalf of the jailed Americans, fired a Haitian attorney who was representing them and visited the Haitian judge handling the case — lacked a law license and is being sought by law enforcement agencies in El Salvador and the United States, Mr. Michaelson said.
Mr. Puello has dropped out of sight since questions were raised about his background. His cousin, Alejandro Puello, said Saturday he was missing, and calls to Mr. Puello’s cellphone were not answered. A Web site that described Mr. Puello and his cousin as law partners, which Alejandro Puello said was false, was taken down on Friday.
The Salvadoran police say they want to question Mr. Puello in connection with a sex trafficking ring broken up last year in which women and girls from Central America and the Caribbean were lured into prostitution through offers of modeling jobs. The suspect is named Jorge Anibal Torres Puello.
But Mr. Puello, who has denied he is that man, said Thursday that he was the president the Sephardic Jewish Community in the Dominican Republic. Public records indicate that in 2007 that organization was registered to Jorge Anibal Torres Puello.
Police records and court documents in the United States also say that a person with the same name and birth date is considered a fugitive and is wanted by the Miami police, United States Customs and the United States Marshals Service. The name and birth date are also the same as the man being pursued in El Salvador and for whom Interpol has transmitted an arrest warrant.
An order is listed in the United States national crime database for a man with that name and birth date to be arrested on sight and reported to United States immigration officials. Those records say he is wanted in connection with crimes including bank fraud in the United States and Canada, and theft of American government property. Police records say he has violated parole.
When asked Thursday to explain whether he was tied to the sex trafficking ring, Mr. Puello said, “I don’t have to answer any questions from you people.”

Flamed Diving

Bless the Lord!

Galvasean

This just gets weirder and weirder...

stevejazzx

LostinKildare wrote: »

Wow, Satan has entered the building! It seems that the missionaries' lawyer is wanted in El Salvador for sex trafficking. And by Interpol and the US for various other crimes including bank fraud, theft of govt property and violation of parole. From the New York Times:

No, it can't have anything to do with sex trafficking, surely?
I mean I was disgusted and outraged when this story broke thinking that a bunch of utterly misguided religious folk thought they could flout countless laws and regulations in the hope of saving some orphan kids. Then I read that most of the kids weren't orphans and now I'm reading that there may be sex trafficking involved and all the time these people are claiming that they're doing it in the name of God. What's happening in the world? :mad: