2011 Jan 05: Ley sentenced for sex abuse of high school exchange student

Oregon Live | By Emily E. Smith | esmith@oregonian.com
updated January 05, 2011 at 9:50 PM

A Beaverton man who sexually abused the high school exchange student he hosted last school yearwas sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.Craig Steven Ley, 51, facing five counts of first-degree and five counts of second-degree sex abuse, took a plea deal last month and pleaded guilty to four counts of second-degree sex abuse.Washington County Judge Eric Butterfield sentenced Ley Wednesday afternoon, granting the sentence Ley and prosecutors agreed to in the deal.

The victim, a 16-year-old European boy, was living with Ley and attending a Beaverton school as a foreign exchange student when the abuse occurred.

In June 2010, the boy reported months of abuse that began early in his stay with Ley.

Deputy District Attorney Paul Maloney said Ley, an active member of the Beaverton lacrosse community, had hosted exchange students previously, but officials found no evidence of prior abuse.

Maloney described in court Wednesday how the relationship between Ley and his victim quickly escalated to the two sleeping in Ley’s bed every night and having daily sexual contact.

A visitor in a foreign country, the boy “was completely and utterly reliant on the defendant,” Maloney said.

“When he would talk to his parents over Skype,” Maloney said, “the defendant would always be lurking about; he would pop in and out sporadically throughout the phone calls.”

His parents never knew that their son’s host father lived alone, had filed bankruptcy and had a 2004 federal felony mail fraud conviction.

The teen didn’t see his family in person until his aunt came from Germany to visit him at Ley’s home in June 2010, shortly before his high school graduation, Maloney said.

He then admitted to his aunt that he slept in Ley’s bed, and his aunt recognized, “this was not the American dream,” Maloney said.

His aunt took him to CARES Northwest, a program that assesses and treats child abuse, and a criminal investigation began.

Ley pulled off the inappropriate relationship by taking advantage of the victim’s vulnerability, Maloney said, and playing off the behavior as fun and normal.

Defense attorney Devon Fooks said Ley’s actions were less sinister than Maloney described.

Fooks said his client didn’t groom or prey upon the student but leaned on him for emotional support during a troubling year. Ley developed a friendship with the boy that “went too far,” Fooks said.

The abuse didn’t occur daily or “with great frequency,” Fooks added, and sometimes the victim initiated the acts.

While those facts don’t relieve Ley of any responsibility, Fooks said, the abuse was “situational more than predatory.”

Ley addressed the court, offering an apology to his victim and family, and explaining that he genuinely cared for the victim and the previous 18 exchange students he had hosted.

“To hurt anybody who I cared for … in my home – that hurts and tears my heart apart,” he said.

For years Ley and his ex-wife alternated hosting boys and girls each year, he said, and he treated them as he would his own children.

In the 2009-10 school year, Ley said, “I had a difficult time stepping up and being an adult that year.”

Butterfield ordered Ley to register as a sex offender when he is released from prison.

Emily E. Smith


2004 May 17: USA v. Ley Oregon District Court, Case No. 3:03-cr-00576-KI

2008 Jul 18: Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges v. Grijalva: Conspiracy; Defamation; Tortious Interference

2010 Jun 15: Beaverton lacrosse coach arrested on multiple sex abuse counts

2010 Dec 21: Exchange student’s Beaverton host father pleads guilty to sex abuse

2010 Jun 15: Ley arrested on multiple sex abuse counts

Wendy Owen | wowen@oregonian.com By Wendy Owen | wowen@oregonian.com
on June 15, 2010 at 2:30 AM, updated June 15, 2010 at 4:22 PM

Craig Ley, 50, a board member of Beaverton High School Lacrosse Club and a lacrosse coach for Beaverton Youth Lacrosse, was arrested Monday on 10 counts of sexual abuse, involving a teenage exchange student.

ley.jpgCraig Ley

The 16-year-old boy was living with Ley, said Sgt. VanceStimler, a Washington County Sheriff’s Officespokesman.The abuse occurred off and on from October until June of this year, and was discovered after relatives of the victim visited the Ley household, according to the sheriff’s office. This is not the first exchange student Ley has hosted.

“We are concerned there may be other victims,” Stimler said.

The exchange student was not a member of Ley’s lacrosse team.  Beaverton High School Lacrosse is a club sport run by parents and is not a program of the Beaverton School District.

The victim attended school in Beaverton, which relies on the exchange student agencies to ensure the safe placement of the foreign students, said Maureen Wheeler, Beaverton School District spokeswoman.

District policy requires the exchange program be approved and in good standing, have a local representative who can meet with school personnel and has demonstrated successful placement of students in the past,  among other requirements.

According to court records, Ley does not have any criminal convictions in Oregon.

The sheriffs office is asking anyone who has specific information that Ley had illegal contact with other minors to call the Washington County Sheriff’s Office at (503) 846-2700.
Wendy Owen

Oregonian reporter Colleen Stewart contributed to this story.

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2004 May 17: USA v. Ley Oregon District Court, Case No. 3:03-cr-00576-KI

2008 Jul 18: Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges v. Grijalva: Conspiracy; Defamation; Tortious Interference

2004 May 17: Ley placed on probation for mail fraud

United States of America, Plaintiff
Represented by United States Department of Justice

Name Phone Fax E-Mail
Johnathan S. Haub +1 503 727 1032 +1 503 727 1117 john.haub@usdoj.gov
Office Portland
Filed 12/23/2003
County Outside State
Terminated 5/17/2004
Reopened
Magistrate Case
303-mj-00591
Count 1
Citation Section 18 U.S.C. § 1341.F
Offense Level 4
181341 MAIL FRAUD
Def Custody Status Released
Flags FRC, TERMINATED
PACER 18 Filed: 5/19/2004, Entered: 5/26/2004 Findings of Fact Court Filing
Findings of Fact Order as to Craig Steven Ley Note: This document is located in the non-public files of the United States Probation Office for the District of Oregon by Judge Garr M King signed on 5/19/04. (Kirk, )
PACER 17 Filed: 5/19/2004, Entered: 5/26/2004 Judgment & Commitment Court Filing
Judgment & Commitment as to Craig Steven Ley (1), Count(s) 1, Defendant is hereby placed on probation for a term of 3 years. Defendant to pay $57,343.00 in restitution to the Public Service Mutual Insurance Company. Defendant to pay a special assessment in the amount of $100.00 payable to the Clerk immediately. by Judge Garr M King signed on 5/17/04. (Kirk, )
 16 Filed: 5/17/2004, Entered: 5/19/2004 Sentencing Hearing Court Filing
Minutes of Proceedings:Sentencing Hearing before Judge Garr M King as to Defendant Craig Steven Ley. Formal Judgment and Fact Finding Order to follow. Defendant advised of right to appeal.Counsel Present for Plaintiff: Johnathan Haub.Counsel Present for Defendant: Thomas J. Hester.(Court Reporter Susan Walker (Teach Reporting)) (ecp, )
PACER 15 Filed: 5/13/2004, Entered: 5/14/2004 Sentencing Memorandum
Sentencing Memorandum filed by USA as to Craig Steven Ley (Kirk, )
PACER 14 Filed: 4/22/2004, Entered: 4/23/2004 Order on Motion to Continue / Reset Court Filing
RECORD OF ORDER: Granting [13] Motion to Continue Sentencing Hearing as to Craig Steven Ley (1); Sentencing reset to 5/17/2004 at 10:15AM in Portland before Judge Garr M King. (Kirk, )
PACER 13 Filed: 4/20/2004, Entered: 4/21/2004, Terminated: 4/22/2004 Motion to Continue / Reset
Motion to Continue Sentencing Hearing by Craig Steven Ley. (Kirk, )
Update this case via PACER (Paid subscription required)PACER Shortcuts

EF Education: Erika Travel Insurance / Efekta Insurance / Aetna Insurance

Originally posted on my blog Trygghetforutvekslingseleven. Please remember that Erika Insurance is part of the EF/Hult Empire and that there is a potential danger of a conflict of interest if a problem arises that EF is responsible for.

Erika Försäkringsab (publ) / Erika Travel Insurance and Finance

Erika Försäkringsab (publ) (Org.nr: 516401-8581: 1995): Stureplan 4, Sturegallerian 11A, 114 35 Stockholm / Box 55569, 102 04 Stockholm: Tel: 08-58793220: http://www.erikainsurance.com

  • Student Insurance Information (do’s and don’ts)
  • To find a doctor covered by Erika/Aetna
  • In case of medical emergency:
    • German, Swiss, Austrian or Dutch students should contact AXA Assistance – 1-800-847-3948
    • Italian students should contact Inter Partner Assistance – 1-800-472-6705
    • All other nationalities should contact Falck TravelCare – 1-800-871-9211
Health Claims/Appeals for the Aetna Student Health Travel Insurance-EF (Erika Insurance): Aetna, PO Box 14101, Lexington, KY 40512: Tel: (+1) 781 219 9100 / Fax: (+1) 441 296 0772
Remember that Erika Insurance and Aetna insurance are separate companies; however, Erika works with Aetna and Aetna is the name that healthcare providers will recognize!
  • Manager: Lars Anders Lundquist
    Chairman: Staffan Gunnar Ericsson
    CEO: Bill Erling Andreasson
    Board: Åsa Elisabeth Staffansdotter Blendow
    Board: Karin Maria Elisabeth Ström
    Board: Per Jonas Kjerfve
Erika reports to EF Cultural Tours AB. EF Cultural Tours reports to Universal Care S.a.r.l. Erika Travel Insurance is one of the daughter firms of EF and Bertil Hult’s empire.

EF has worked with Erika Insurance for 17 years – it’s our strong recommendation that all students have the Erika insurance while attending an EF school.

Erika is a tailor-made insurance including everything from medical, property, delay, interruption and liability coverage. (EF)

Hult International Business School

Subject to change. Insurance plans are provided by AETNA for US locations, Erika Medical insurance for London, Dubai, and Shanghai.

Erika insures the following EF programs:

  • Academic Year Abroad
  • Cultural Care – Au Pair
  • EF English First
  • EF High School Exchange Year
  • Language Courses Abroad

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Efekta Insurance International, Ltd.:

(Reg.no: 35879): Bermudiana Arcade – 3rd floor, 27 Queen Street, HM11 Hamilton Bermuda: Tel: +41.41 417 4500 / (+1) 441-296-9080 / Fax: +41.41 417 4671 / (+1) 441-296 0772: http://www.efektainsurance.com/

  • Tobias Sjöberg (Director of Operations)

Health Claims/Appeals for the Aetna Student Health Travel Insurance-EF (Erika Insurance): Aetna, PO Box 14101, Lexington, KY 40512: Tel: (+1) 781 219 9100 / Fax: (+1) 441 296 0772

Efekta’s policies are governed by Bermudian laws. Efekta has listed as their customers:

  • Go Ahead Tours
  • EF Educational Tours – US
  • EF Educational Tours – Canada
  • EF College Break and
  • EF College Study Tours

Emergency Assistance while on tour: AXA Assistance: Garmischer Str 10, D-80339 Munich, Germany: Tel: (+49) 89 500 704 849 (24 hrs) / +1 (800) 847 3948 (24 hrs toll-free, USA and Canada) / Fax: (+49) 89 500 70 394: E-mail: efekta@axa-assistance.de

Efekta Group, Inc (Reg.no.DE: 4838748 – Jun 23, 2010 – Domestic)

  • Efekta Group, Inc (Reg.no.MA: 001031180 – Jun 24, 2010 – Foreign)
    One Education St, Cambridge MA 02141
  • Martha Dolye (President), Bruce Strong (Treasurer/Secretary), Rosa Gyllenhaal (Director), Susanna Pesteny (Director)

Efekta International Language Schools, Inc. (Reg.no.MA: 043078199 – 1989 – Domestic): 1 Memorial Dr., Cambridge, MA 02142

  • Peter Nilsson (President), Robert Tejme (Secretary)

Efekta Institute, Inc. (Reg.no.DE: 043414628 – 1998 – Domestic)

  • (Reg.no.MA: 043414628 – 1999 – Foreign): One Education Street
    Cambridge, MA 02141
  • (Reg.no.FL: F00000007136 – 2000 – Foreign): One Education Street
    Cambridge, MA 02141
  • Jens Appelkvist (Director/President/PD), Louise Hellestam (Director), Rosa Gyllenhaal (Secretary/Treasurer)

Efekta Schools, Inc. (Reg.no.MA: 043337221 – 1996 – Domestic): One Education St.
Cambridge, MA 02141

  • Colorado: 17 Chateau Ln, Avon, CO 81620-0000
  • (Reg.no.CA: C1995267 – 1996 – Foreign): 2710 Gateway Oaks Dr Ste 150n, Sacramento, CA 95833: Lawyers Incorporating Service
  • Jens Appelkvist (Director/President), Louise Hellestam (Director), Rosa Gyllenhaal (Secretary/Treasurer)

Efekta Academy, Inc. (Reg.no.DE: 5366655 – 2013 – Domestic)

Efekta House, Inc. (Reg.no.DE: 4838749 – 2010 – Domestic)

  • (Reg.no.MA: 001031175 – 2010 – Foreign)
  • Martha H. Doyle (President), Rosa Gyllenhaal (Director), Bruce Strong (Treasurer)

Efekta Cabrillo, Inc. (Reg.no.DE: 5593695 – 2014 – Domestic)

  • (Reg.no.CA: C3708223 – 2014 – Foreign): 2710 Gateway Oaks Dr Ste 150n, Sacramento CA 95833
  • Lawyers Incorporating Service

Efekta IA, Inc.

  • (Reg.no.NY: 4440109 – 2013 – Foreign): One Education Street
    Cambridge, MA 02141

Reviews:


Aetna Life Insurance Company

All Erika Travel Insurance Claims while in the USA/Canada, regardless of nationality. Health Claims/Appeals for the *Aetna Student Health Travel Insurance-EF (Erika Insurance): Aetna, PO Box 14101, Lexington, KY 40512: Tel: (+1) 781 219 9100 (business hrs) / 800-783-7447 (toll-free in USA and Canada) / Fax: (+1) 859-280-1269 / Fax: (+1) 441 296 0772: erika@aetna.com – https://www.aetnastudenthealth.com

Aetna Student Health Agency, Inc. : (Reg.no.MA: 042708160 – 1980 – Domestic)

Principal address: One Charles Park, Cambridge MA 02142 / 1010 Commonwealth Ave,
Boston MA 02215-1201
Mailing address: 151 Farmington Ave., Hartford CT 06156-0001, USA: Tel: +1 (860) 636 4460 / Fax: +1 (860) 636 2303 / 111 Eight Ave, New York New York 10011

Officers: Chekesha C. Kidd (CEO/President/Director), Scott Albert Champagne (President/Director), Maryellen Pease (Chief Financial Officer/Vice President), Alfred Paul Quirk (Treasurer), Jerry John Bellizzi (Secretary), Edward C. Lee (Secretary), Valerie B. Sideris (Assistant Secretary), Jan Penney (Controller)


AXA Assistance Deutschland GmbH

All emergencies, and all claims (except claims while in USA/Canada) for travelers from Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Hungary, Poland, Czech Republic while in the USA/Canada are handled by:

*Aetna Student Health
c/o IPAS GmbH, Grosse Scharrnstr. 36, D-15230 Frankfurt/Oder, Germany

AXA Assistance, Asia
All emergencies, and all claims except while in USA/Canada (= Chickering*), for travelers from Asia except Japan and Korea.
4-08 Amoda Building, 22 Jalan Imbi, 55100 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Tel: (+60) 3-205 357 57 (24 hrs) / Fax: (+60) 3-214 589 89 / Email: erika@axa-assistance.com.my

Inter Partner Assistance S.A., Italy

All emergencies, and claims for travelers from Italy, except for claims while in USA/Canada which are handled by Aetna Student Health for long-term students.
Via Bernardino Alimena 111, I-00173 (RM) Roma, Italy: Tel: (+39) 06-42115 551 (24 hrs) / 1 800 472 6705 (toll-free in US/CA) / Fax: (+39) 06-42115 243 / Email: servizio.erikaef@ip-assistance.com

Falck Travel Care

All emergencies, and claims except for claims while in USA/Canada for travelers from Scandinavia, Latin America, North America, Asia and all other nationalites not specified elsewhere. Claims while the USA/Canada are handled by Aetna Student Health.
P.O. Box 44024, SE-100 73 Stockholm, Sweden: Tel: (+46) 8-501 001 60 (24 hrs) / 800-871 9211 (24 hrs toll-free in USA and Canada) / Fax: (+46) 8-505 939 13 / Email: erika@falcktravelcare.com

*Chickering Claims Administrators, Inc.

Chickering Claims Administrators, Inc. operates as a subsidiary of Aetna Health Holdings, LLC.: 25 First Street, Cambridge MA 02141, United States / : Telephone: 617-679-9768, Founded 1991,  Frederick H Chicos, president

Chickering Claims Administrators, Inc.: P.O. Box 15708, Boston, MA 02215 / 1 Charles Park, Cambridge, MA 02142-1254: Medical Providers Call: +1 (866) 639-1334 [Toll Free] / Insureds Call:  +1(888) 308-7320 [Toll Free] / +1 (817) 809-4700 [DFW Metroplex] / +1 (817) 479-2155 [Fax].

Call anytime (United States only). Nurses are available 24-hours a day. To reach a nurse, call 1-800-556-1555. TDD for hearing and speech-impaired people only: 1-800-270-238, (619)298-7575 / Email: erikasvc@chickering.com / Website: http://www.chickering.com takes you to Aetna Student Health

Officers (see Aetna’s): Katharine Begley (President), Alfred Quirk (Treasurer), Edward Lee (Secretary), Maryellen Pease (CFO), Jan Penney (Controller), Katharine Begley (Director)

Articles and reviews:

2004: «Since the divestment of third party business in 2003, there has been a significant increase in the credit and liquidity risk associated with Erika as it cedes 85% of the gross premiums written to Efekta, (EF’s reinsurance captive based in Bermuda). Credit and liquidity risk is further exacerbated by a non-callable loan arrangement between Efekta and an EF group subsidiary.»

2007: CSFES Helps Foreign Exchange Students

by NORTH COUNTRY GAZETTE on MAY 11, 2007
By Danielle Grijalva, CSFES Director

Approximately 30,000 teenage exchange students will return to their home countries next month.

The Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students (CSFES) shares the following true story regarding the treatment of an exchange student by his student exchange company.

Jay’s stomach rumbled as he sat in his counselor’s office. His eyes would move down as he looked at the pencil his counselor held and then he looked up to his counselor’s mouth as he spoke on the phone to the area representative of his student exchange company.

He was exhausted and his energy was lost; this very well may be time for him to give in to returning to Thailand four months early. To return to his family who loved him didn’t sound like such a bad idea.

Mr. Ashurst would shade in the numbers on his desk calendar with his pencil and occasionally look over at Jay who was sitting in front of his desk. Occasionally Jay would see him write something down on a separate notepad, but for the most part, shading in the numbers is what occupied him most as he listened to Mrs. Wallen.

“Now may I say something, Mrs. Wallen?” Mr. Ashurst calmly spoke. “While I am not quite sure if you are interested in hearing what I have to say, I believe I’ve been patient with you and now I would like to ask the same from you. When Jay arrived, he had missed five weeks of school through no fault of his own. He has since maintained a 4.2 GPA and is active in many after school activities. Jay is well liked by anyone who comes into contact with him. Although he is quite shy, he has made friends, many of whom have taken it upon themselves to write letters on his behalf. Not one person wants him to return to Thailand early, Mrs. Wallen. My notes tell me that you have labeled this student as manipulative — please, let me finish. My notes reflect on four separate occasions you have called this young man a liar — please, I’m not done. Essentially you have told me he is nothing more than a spoiled rotten brat who is impossible to please and has been a troublemaker from the beginning.”

Jay was uncomfortable hearing Mr. Ashurst’s conversation, but also liked it at the same time. There was no more shading in the numbers on his desk calendar. Mr. Ashurst was now standing.

“Since I can tell, Mrs. Wallen, that we are not going to have a meeting of the mind about Jay, I prefer to discuss this matter with the State Department —” Mrs. Wallen had heard enough and abruptly ended the call. This was fine by Mr. Ashurst.

Mr. Ashurst reached in his desk and grabbed for his car keys. “Jay, I’m hungry. Grab your backpack, I’m taking you to lunch.”

“Yes, sir.” Jay softly responded.

During lunch, Mr. Ashurst learned from an ever so soft-spoken 16-year-old boy that it had been two days since he had anything to eat.

His last four weeks had been spent sleeping on a mattress in a basement.

The reason he didn’t tell his parents in Thailand is because he didn’t want to cause them to worry.

The reason he missed five weeks of school was because he did not have a host family waiting for him as he and his family were promised.

Against the United States Department of State regulations, he lived in the home of his area representative where he was told that he had better keep his mouth shut about the matter; that if he did complain to anyone, he would be sent home early to Thailand.

His parents in Thailand spent $16,000 for this experience.

It was in the basement of his area representative where he spent his last four weeks.

CSFES is pleased to report Jay was removed from the basement and placed in an actual home where he is thriving.

This is not an isolated incident as the exchange industry would like for you to believe.

CSFES urges all school administrators to report to the CSFES via www.csfes.org  or by calling 866-471-9203 should any students with a similar story appear at their high school.   5-11-07

2013 Sep 14: Yis charged with molestation

Gwinnett Daily Post | By Tyler Estep | Updated Saturday, September 14, 2013 | © Copyright 2015 Gwinnett Daily Post

SUWANEE — The six Korean exchange students allegedly forced to strip and touch each other were not the first to be hosted by the Suwanee couple accused of abusing them.

The Daily Post first reported Thursday that Woo Ki Yi, 42, and wife Hyun Ju Yi, 40, had been charged with child molestation and furnishing alcohol to minors in connection to incidents involving exchange students — all ages 15 to 18 — staying at their home at 3830 Regal Oaks Drive in Suwanee. More details came to light on Friday, including concerns about the potential for additional victims.

According to Gwinnett County police, six Korean teenagers had been staying with the Yis for about nine weeks, their parents paying more than $15,000 apiece for them to have somewhere to live while attending local high schools. All was seemingly well until Wednesday, when one of them “made an outcry of abuse” to an employee at their school. Authorities were contacted.

“When detectives interviewed the six victims, they said that the Yis would provide them with alcohol and have them play games,” Gwinnett County police spokesman Cpl. Jake Smith said. “The losers would be required to remove an item of clothing. After the victims were naked, Woo Yi would order them to kiss and touch each other.”

Those “games” are believed to have happened four or more times, Smith said.

The Yis were arrested late Wednesday and are being held without bond. They face two counts of child molestation and six alcohol charges apiece.

Smith said that the students had been placed “in temporary homes at their parents’ request.” More details on that front were not available.

It was unclear Friday if the Yis were participants in a legitimate program or operated independently, but they had hosted exchange students before. The possibility of other alleged victims is being looked into, Smith said.

“Apparently they have hosted kids for some time,” Smith said, “but we don’t have anything to say this happened before. It’s a concern that will be looked into.”

Additional charges from the current group of victims are also being explored.

2008 Jun 03: Agency dumps coordinators of foreign teens

FAYETTEVILLE : Agency dumps coordinators of foreign teens

BY ROBERT J. SMITH, Northwest Arkansas’ News Source, June 3, 2008

http://www.nwanews.com/adg/News/227602/

http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-179680062.html

“State Department investigators learned that EF Foundation failed to ensure that foreign exchange students had appropriate host families and homes before they arrived in the U. S.  The foundation also allowed some students to live in the Drummond home, a violation of federal regulations that forbid company representatives from serving as a student’s host family, State Department officials said.”

Complete story:

Education First Foundation of Foreign Study on Monday fired a Fayetteville couple in charge of finding host families for foreign exchange students arriving in Arkansas.

EF Foundation’s decision to fire Gerald and Sherry Drummond came hours after Fayetteville High School said that it will no longer accept foreign students brought to Arkansas by the Cambridge, Mass.-based company.

“They called us this morning and told us with the decision of Fayetteville High School that they were going to ask us to not work with them anymore,” Gerald Drummond said Monday. “I go with what they ask.

” We’re just ordinary nobodies, but I enjoy life and I enjoy meeting people. We get things written about us like we’re trying to take advantage of exchange students instead of it being a positive thing.”

Alan Wilbourn, the Fayetteville School District spokesman, said high school counselors spent too much time resolving difficulties encountered by EF Foundation students. That led to the decision to stop working with the company, he said.

“They’ve spent days handling living situations, and that’s supposed to be taken care of before they get here,” Wilbourn said.

The school district’s ban of EF Foundation students comes five months after the U. S. State Department began investigating EF Foundation’s Arkansas operation. The Drummonds accepted their first foreign exchange student as a host family eight years ago and eventually became the company’s Arkansas coordinators.

State Department investigators learned that EF Foundation failed to ensure that foreign exchange students had appropriate host families and homes before they arrived in the U. S. The foundation also allowed some students to live in the Drummond home, a violation of federal regulations that forbid company representatives from serving as a student’s host family, State Department officials said.

The findings in the State Department’s investigation, which involved six students at Fayetteville High School and one each at Fayetteville Christian School and Missouri Boulevard Baptist School, have not been made public.

Counselors and school administrators in Fayetteville interviewed by the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette in December said foreign students associated with EF Foundation felt isolated, scared and appeared to be malnourished.

Those characterizations are unfair, Gerald Drummond said Monday. He said there are students who lived in his home who remain in contact with him. Over the eight years, 14 foreign exchange students lived with the Drummonds, he said.

“I’m just sad to see it come to a crashing end,” he said. “We’re not the terrible people the world thinks we are.”

EF Foundation spokesman Ellen Manz wouldn’t say why the Drummonds were let go. A replacement hasn’t been selected. The company knew the Fayetteville school was considering banning EF Foundation students from enrolling, Manz said.

“Although this is a disappointing decision, it will not have a material impact on our program either in Arkansas or nationwide,” Manz writes in an e-mail. “We will certainly visit Fayetteville High School in the fall to discuss their experiences with EF, and see if we can give them the confidence in our program to consider accepting our students in 2009-10.”

Heather Slinkard, a Bella Vista woman who is area manager for a foreign exchange student company called Peace 4 Kids Inc., said EF Foundation’s troubles in Arkansas hurt the overall image of foreign exchange programs.

“They did give us all a black eye, but more than that, they hurt students,” Slinkard said.

State Sen. Sue Madison, DFayetteville, who wants the state to more closely monitor the placement of foreign exchange students at high schools, said she was pleased to hear the company fired the Drummonds.

“I’m happy to see EF take some firm action,” Madison said. “Maybe they’ll get somebody good.”

Copyright (c) 2001-2008 Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Inc.  All rights reserved.

Student Exchange Agency:  Education First Foundation of Foreign Study (EF)

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2007: Exchange Group Gets Probe After Teens Complain

2009 Oct 20: Licata sentenced for unlawful restraint

Posted Tuesday, Oct. 20, 2009
BY DARREN BARBEE, FORT WORTH STAR TELEGRAM

Former Colleyville councilman Tony Licata, 58, was sentenced Tuesday to 24 months of probation for unlawfully restraining a foreign exchange student at his home last year, according to court records. Licata will also have to “continue private counseling for a minimum of two sessions” each month and was fined $386, according to court documents. If he fulfills terms of his probation, the conviction will be set aside.

Licata resigned his seat earlier this year on the day the arrest warrant was executed.

Licata’s attorney, Barry Sorrels of Dallas, had no immediate comment. The prosecutor who handled the case was in court Tuesday afternoon and couldn’t be reached.

Licata was sentenced a day before his case was due for disposition in County Criminal County No. 1.

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2009 May: Colleyville Councilman Accused of Fondling Exchange Student

2009 May: Licata Accused of Fondling Exchange Student

Tony Licata, a two-term councilman, resigned last week after his arrest on suspicion of unlawful restraint.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 • Updated at 5:45 PM CST

A two-term Colleyville City Council member and longtime youth coach has been accused of pinning down and fondling a foreign exchange student living at his home.

Tony Licata, 57, resigned his seat the same day he was arrested last week. He was booked on suspicion of unlawful restraint, posted $2,500 bail and was released later on Thursday, according to Tarrant County Jail.

Alan Levy, a Tarrant County prosecutor, said the charge against Licata may change after the case is presented to a grand jury.

Licata’s attorney Stephanie Luce said he is “a good and decent man” but said she would not comment further until her office investigates the allegations, the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported.

American Field Service, which arranged for Licata to host the girl, received an emergency report about an incident one night in November and moved her from Licata’s upscale home in the Fort Worth suburb. But the agency did not contact police.

Authorities were alerted in April by the girl’s therapist, according to the arrest warrant affidavit obtained by the newspaper.

Marlene Baker, AFS-USA spokeswoman, said she could not discuss specifics of the case but that students’ safety and security is the organization’s first priority. Based on information at the time, “we followed protocol … (that) included moving the student, notifying the student’s parents, notifying the (U.S.) State Department and offering counseling to the student,” Baker said.

On that November night, Licata called the girl into his bedroom to show her a cell phone, and they sat on the bed reading the instruction book. But when she started to get up, Licata grabbed her and began touching her inappropriately, according to the affidavit.

The girl struggled and Licata threw her on the bed, allegedly pinning her and kissing her neck and shoulders. She broke free, crying, and Licata apologized before letting her leave, according to the document.

The girl went to the home of a friend, who called AFS. The agency moved her to another city on an emergency placement, and later moved her to another host family.

After she told her therapist, the girl and her friend who translated for her met at a high school with an investigator for the Tarrant County District Attorney’s Office. The girl said she would call Licata’s cell phone while the conversation was recorded.

According to the affidavit, during that phone call Licata apologized about the incident several times and said he had told his wife and a counselor. He also said that AFS had told him not to contact her but that he was concerned about her and “wanted to visit with her further and would talk to his wife to see how that would best be accomplished,” according to the document.

Licata, who runs a management consulting firm, was elected to the City Council in 2005 and re-elected to a three-year term in 2007. He was a youth sports coach from 1987-99, heading soccer, baseball and wrestling teams. He is also a community volunteer.

Colleyville Councilman Mike Taylor said Licata had asked that his resignation be kept quiet until he was ready to announce it. Taylor said he had not heard of the allegations against Licata, who had cited personal reasons for stepping down.

“Mr. Licata was an excellent council member, and we’re going to miss him,” Taylor said. “He did a very good job for the citizens.”
Copyright Associated Press

2014 May 05: Exchange year in the US was a nightmare / Austauschjahr in den USA wurde zum Albtraum

From 20 Minuten – Germany
Austauschjahr in den USA wurde zum Albtraum
«Dreckskerl» nannte die EF-Koordinatorin den 16-Jährigen, und seine Gastfamilie kontrollierte ihn von A bis Z. Wie das Austauschjahr eines Zürchers in Kalifornien zum Horror wurde.

storybild
Für den 16-jährigen Konstantin begann das Austauschjahr in Kalifornien – hier die Golden-Gate-Brücke in San Francisco – unschön. (Bild: Keystone/AP/Eric Risberg)

 

«Bist Du bereit für das grosse Abenteuer?», fragt die Firma EF Education First in ihrer Werbung. «Während deines EF High School Years hast du die einmalige Chance, neue Herausforderungen anzunehmen, viele nette Menschen kennen zu lernen, eine Fremdsprache zu erlernen und erwachsen zu werden.» Klingt gut, doch der 16-jährige Konstantin aus Zürich hat keine guten Erinnerungen an den Beginn seines Austauschjahres 2012 in Kalifornien.

Von Beginn sei er in seinem neuen Zuhause mit Vorwürfen konfrontiert gewesen: «Meine Gastmutter baute ein Kontrollsystem auf, verbot mir auszugehen, drohte mir mit Konsequenzen bei Alkoholkonsum und nahm mir meinen Laptop und mein Handy weg», sagte Konstantin dem «Tages-Anzeiger». Sie solle ihn sogar beschuldigt haben, 500 Dollar von ihr gestohlen zu haben. Die Gastmutter und die EF-Hauptkoordinatorin Sandra Woods sollen dabei in permanentem Kontakt gestanden haben. Nach diversen Vorwürfen drohte Konstantin die Kündigung und die frühzeitige Heimreise.

Mehr Provisionen einstreichen

Es kam gemäss «Tages-Anzeiger» der Verdacht auf, dass die Hauptkoordinatorin sehr daran interessiert war, Konstantin frühzeitig nach Hause zu schicken. So könnte sie einen anderen Schüler in der Gastfamilie platzieren und mehrfach Provisionen einstreichen. Diese Vorgehensweise wird im Bericht durch den Ex-EF-Koordinator William Alexander bestätigt, der sich nach seiner Kündigung an das Departement of State in Washington wandte. Zudem bestätigte Alexander laut «Tages-Anzeiger», dass Woods eine persönliche Aversion gegen Konstantin hatte. Alexander suchte für Konstantin schliesslich eine neue Familie, wo er sein EF Highschool Year zu Ende bringen konnte.

Der Fall war aber deswegen noch nicht abgeschlossen. Konstantins Mutter wehrte sich weiter und erreichte schliesslich, dass Danielle Grijalva, Direktorin der ausländischen Studenten in Kalifornien, beim Departement of State eine Beschwerde gegen Woods einreichte. Dabei wurde auch aus dem SMS-Verkehr zwischen Woods und Alexander betreffend dem Austauschschüler Konstantin zitiert. Demnach schrieb Woods Dinge wie «I wish we could just send his ass home.» (Ich wünschte mir, wir könnten diesen A… einfach heimschicken) oder «He’s a punk.» (Er ist ein Dreckskerl).

«Kinder werden hin- und hergeschoben»

Grijalva sagte dem «K-Tipp»: «Das Problem von EF und ähnlichen Organisationen ist, dass sie nicht genug passende Gastfamilien finden. Deshalb werden die Kinder ständig hin- und hergeschoben.» Sie kritisierte auch das Besoldungssystem für EF-Betreuer, die auf Provisionsbasis arbeiteten. Pro Austauschschüler gebe es mindestens 300 Dollar. Je mehr Schüler EF-Betreuer unterbringen würden, desto mehr Boni bekämen sie.

Zwischen der Mutter von Konstantin und dem Zürcher Büro von EF gab es zwar nach diversen Anläufen der Mutter ein Gespräch. Dabei habe EF zwar zugegeben, dass nicht alles optimal gelaufen sei, doch erhielt sie weder eine Entschuldigung noch eine finanzielle Entschädigung. Gegenüber dem «Tages-Anzeiger» äusserte sich EF-Programmleiter Mario Tschopp schriftlich: «Der Fall ist uns bekannt, und wir haben die angezeigten internen Schritte unternommen (…).» Unklar bleibt, ob Woods weiterhin bei EF tätig ist – dazu will man sich aus «Gründen des Persönlichkeitsschutzes» nicht äussern.


Google translation:
He had from the beginning been confronted in his new home with allegations: “My host mother built a system of control, forbade me to go out, threatened me with consequences of alcohol consumption and took my laptop and my phone away,” Constantine said the Tages-Anzeiger, She should have even accused him of having stolen $ 500 from her. The host mother and the EFmain coordinator Sandra Woods should it have been in constant contact. After various allegations Constantine threatened termination and early departure.

Reap more commissionsIt came under “Tages-Anzeiger” suspected that the main coordinator was very interested in Constantinople to send home early. So they could place another student in the host family and multiple reap commissions. This approach is confirmed in the report by the ex-EFcoordinator William Alexander, who turned in his resignation to the Department of State in Washington. In addition, according to Alexander confirmed “Tages-Anzeiger” that Woods had a personal aversion to Constantine. Alexander was looking for Constantine finally a new family where he EF High School Year could be put to an end.The case was therefore but not yet completed. Constantine’s mother struggled further, and finally reached that Danielle Grijalva, director of foreign students in California, the Department of State filed a complaint against Woods. Here the exchange student Konstantin was also quoted on the SMS traffic between Woods and Alexander. According to Woods wrote things like I wish We could just send his ass home.” (I wish we could this A … simply send home) or He’s a punk.” (He’s a bastard).“Children are pushed back and forthGrijalva said the “K-Tip“: “The problem of EF and similar organizations, that they can not find enough suitable host families. Therefore, the children are constantly being pushed around. “She also criticized the system of remuneration for EFworkers, who worked on a commission basis. Per exchange students there were at least 300 dollars. The more students would accommodate EFworkers, the more bonuses they would get.

Between the mother of Constantine and the Zurich office of EF although there were various attempts by the mother a call. This EF had indeed admitted that not everything was done perfectly, but received neither an apology nor a financial compensation. Compared to the “Tages-Anzeiger” is EF program director Mario Tschopp expressed written: The case is known to us, and we have the next internal steps taken (…).” It is unclear whether Woods continues to work with EF – to if one is not comment of privacy protection reasons”.

2014 Dec 23: Oikeus: Vaihto-oppilas kotiutettiin Kanadasta väärin perustein / Student wrongly sent home from Canada (Finnish)

Rikos Julkaistu 23.12.2014 21:50

Helsingin käräjäoikeus

Kanadassa vaihto-oppilaana ollut opiskelija haki Helsingin käräjäoikeudessa korvauksia pilalle menneestä, etukäteen maksetusta lukuvuodesta hieman yli 10 000 euroa. Oikeus katsoikin, että 17-vuotias tyttö kotiutettiin Kanadasta väärin perustein, mutta korvaukset olivat puolet vaaditusta.

17-vuotias tyttö lähti ranskankieliseen Kanadaan syksyllä 2011 STS Kielimatkat Oy:n kautta.

Tyttö oli ennen matkaa ilmoittanut olevansa allerginen kissoille, koirille ja siitepölylle. Käsityksensä mukaan hän joutui matkalla erittäin allergisoiviin olosuhteisiin.

Mainos (uutinen jatkuu alla)

Perheen piti olla ranskankielinen, mutta sellaista ei löytynyt. Tyttö joutui yksinasuvan 62-vuotiaan jamaikalaissyntyinen naisen luokse.

Tytön mukaan asunto oli täysin siivoton ja sotkuinen. Kaksikon välit tulehtuivat, kun 17-vuotias ja hänen vanhempansa ryhtyivät selvittämään epäilyä emännän marihuanan käytöstä. Tämä osoittautui sittemmin vääräksi.

Tyttö päätyi uuteen perheeseen, jossa oli kaksi koiraa. Lopulta STS Kielimatkat päätti tammikuussa 2012 kotiuttaa tytön.

Tapauksesta kerrottiin myös Ylen MOT-ohjelmassa lokakuussa 2013.

STS: Väärää tietoa

STS:n mukaan tyttö oli antanut puutteellisia tietoja allergioistaan ja jos yritys olisi tiennyt totuuden, häntä ei olisi otettu vaihto-ohjelmaan.

Uudessa paikassa tyttö oli ilmoittanut olevansa allerginen myös tomaatille. STS oli saanut myös tietää, että tyttö oli saanut oireita huonepölystä.

STS tiedusteli tilanteesta tytön vanhemmilta, joiden mukaan allergiaoireet olivat sen verran vakavia, että tytöllä oli mukanaan epipen-kynä varmuuden vuoksi. Tässä vaiheessa STS keskeytti matkan. Tyttö palasi suomeen tammikuussa 2012.

“Uutta perhettä ei löytynyt”

Tytön käsityksen mukaan keskeyttämisen taustalla oli se, että STS ei kyennyt löytämään sijoitusperhettä. Tyttö oli joulun alla saanut tietää kakkosperheen äidiltä, ettei perhe pysty pitämään häntä enää tammikuun jälkeen. Kotimatkasta kerrottiin vain kaksi päivää ennen lentoa.

STS totesi, että allergisille on ylipäätään erittäin vaikea löytää isäntäperhettä Kanadassa. STS:n mukaan moniallergisuuden paljastuttua, tyttöä ei olisi pystytty ”myymään” mihinkään perheeseen. Kotimatkasta kerrottiin tytölle myöhään, jottei tämä karkaisi, kuten oli joskus käynyt.

Väärät perusteet kotiuttaa

Käräjäoikeus katsoi, että tyttö oli antanut riittävät terveystiedot ennen matkaa, vaikka ne olivat jossain määrin puutteellisia. Allergiat olivat STS:n tiedossa. Oikeus totesi myös, että tytön palauttaminen Suomeen tehtiin perusteetta. STS:llä ei siis ollut oikeutta keskeyttää vaihto-oppilasvuotta.

Käräjäoikeus lausui kuitenkin, että koko matka ei mennyt hukkaan, koska tyttö oli ollut Kanadassa 5 kuukautta eli yhden lukukauden. Hinnanalennusta ei hyväksytty ensimmäisen perheen asunnon väitetystä epäsiisteydestä, koska siitä ei ollut näyttöä.

Oikeus arvosteli sitä, että kolmatta perhettä ei edes yritetty löytää.

Käräjäoikeus päätyi siihen, että STS Kielimatkojen on palautettava tytölle 5000 euroa.

Koska STS oli jo tammikuussa 2013 ja uudestaan jutun valmisteluistunnossa tarjoutunut sopimaan asian ja palauttamaan tytölle 5000 euroa, käräjäoikeus totesi, että molemmat saavat itse maksaa oikeudenkäyntikulunsa.


Jarkko Sipilä | jarkko.sipila(at)mtv.fi | @sipilamtv3


Google translation of the article:
Canadian exchange student was a student applied for the Helsinki District Court for compensation out of a ruined, paid in advance of the academic year to just over 10 000 euros. Court ruled that the 17-year-old girl was discharged from Canada wrongly, but the claims were half required.

17-year-old girl went to French-speaking Canada in the autumn of 2011 STS Language Oy.

The girl was before the trip expressed its allergic to cats, dogs and pollen. View, he was on the way very allergenic conditions.
Advertisement (news continued below)

The family was supposed to be in French, but could not be found. The girl was forced to living alone 62-year-old Jamaican woman to him.

According to the girl’s apartment was absolutely filthy and messy. The duo intervals inflamed, when the 17-year-old and his parents began to explore the wife of suspected marijuana use. This turned out later to be false.

The girl ended up being a new family with two dogs. In the end, STS Language Schools decided in January 2012 to withdraw the girl.

The case was also told YLE MOT program in October 2013.
STS: Incorrect

STS, the girl had given incomplete information about allergies and if the company had known the truth, he would not have been an exchange program.

The new location, the girl had expressed its allergic to tomatoes. STS had also learned that the girl had symptoms of indoor dust.

STS inquired about the situation of the girl’s parents, according to which the allergy symptoms were so severe that she had with the EpiPen pen just in case. At this point, the STS cut the trip. The girl returned to Finland in January 2012.
The new family was not found”

The girl’s view of the suspension in the background was the fact that STS was not able to find the position of the family. The girl was just before Christmas got to know the family right from the mother that the family can not keep her anymore after january. The trip home was reported just two days before the flight.

STS stated that the anti-allergy is generally very difficult to find a host family in Canada. STS: According to moniallergisuuden had been discovered, the girl would not be able to sell” to any family. The trip home was told the girl late, so as not to break out of this, as was sometimes the case.

Incorrect criteria to repatriate

The district court found that the girl had given adequate health information before the trip, even though they were somewhat incomplete. Allergies were STS known. The Court noted, also, that the girl’s restoration to Finland was unjustified. STS was therefore not entitled to suspend the exchange student years.

The District Court stated, however, that the whole trip did not go to waste, because the girl had been in Canada five months, ie one semester. The price reduction is not approved for the first family residence of the alleged untidiness, since it was not evidence.

Legal criticized the fact that the third family does not even attempt to find.

The District Court concluded that the STS exchange trips must be returned to her 5000 euros.

Since the STS was already in January 2013, and again the story a preliminary hearing, offered to fit the case and return the girl to EUR 5000, the District Court found that both are self-pay costs.

Jarkko Sipilä

jarkko.sipila (at) mtv.fi

@ sipilamtv3

Kinder Surprise Eggs prohibited in USA

I discovered this today. You will be taking the chance of getting fined for US$ 2500 for EACH egg you bring into the USA. What a nice surprise that would be??

http://cdn.inquisitr.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Kinder-Eggs.jpg
Image courtesy Wikimedia: A. Kniesel

Kinder Chocolate Eggs are Prohibited

Kinder chocolate eggs are prohibited as an export to the U.S. because the toy surprise hidden inside poses a choking and aspiration hazard in children younger than three years of age. The Kinder eggs are hollow milk chocolate eggs about the size of a large hen’s egg and are usually packaged in a colorful foil wrapper. The toy within the egg is contained in an oval-shaped plastic capsule and has small parts that require assembly. Each egg contains a different toy.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has determined that this product fails to meet small parts requirements for children less than three years of age. Additional information regarding unsafe toys and product recall announcements can be found at the CPSC website. U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) and the CPSC work jointly to ensure the safety of imported goods by examining, sampling and testing products that may present substantial hazards.

2003 Apr 04: Swiderski denies sex charges

News-Herald | By Tracey Read
Posted: 04/30/03, 12:00 AM EDT | Staff Writer

A retired teacher accused of molesting a foreign exchange student he hosted said he hopes his experience doesn’t stop others from welcoming exchange students into their homes.

Frank Swiderski, 69, of Eastlake, appeared Tuesday in Willoughby Municipal Court on charges of multiple sex offenses involving a teen-age male who began living with the suspect in August.

Swiderski remained in jail on $50,000 bond.

The never-married suspect, who taught foreign language and audiovisual classes at North High School in Eastlake before retiring 20 years ago, denied the allegations to news reporters after waiving his right to a preliminary hearing.

“There has never been any impropriety,” Swiderski said. “I hope other people will still take exchange students into their houses.”

Swiderski, a onetime Eastlake Chamber of Commerce “Man of the Year,” said he never even asked for the boy, who is now 18, to live with him.

“The family and the school who had him fell through,” he said, adding, “He was the one who chose me.”

Swiderski was arrested last week after the student asked a teacher if the suspect’s interactions with him were normal American customs.

The suspect said the alleged victim appeared happy the day before the allegations came out when the two enjoyed dinner at a Vietnamese restaurant.

“He’s a hard-working young man who does more than people realize,” said the suspect. “I tried to relieve his stress by taking him wherever he wanted to go.”

A Lake County grand jury must now decide whether there is enough evidence to indict Swiderski on eight counts of gross sexual imposition and one count of pandering obscenity involving a minor.

If convicted on all nine counts, he faces a maximum 131/2 years behind bars.

Meanwhile, Eastlake police said they are still talking to at least four other former exchange students from countries including Holland, Germany and Sweden who may have been molested by Swiderski.

The suspect has admitted on tape to being a predator of young children since 1968, Detective Chris Bowersock said.

“It’s an ongoing investigation, and the evidence will speak for itself,” Bowersock said.

However, Swiderski denied that he ever told police he has a history of inappropriate conduct with minors.

Swiderski, who was also involved in Boy Scouts and was under contract as a news correspondent for The Plain Dealer before the arrest, remained in jail Tuesday on $50,000 bond.

“We don’t think he’s a flight risk,” Eastlake City Prosecutor Judd Hawkins said.

As a condition of allowing the suspect to be released if he posts 10 percent of the bond, Judge Larry Allen ordered Swiderski to turn in his passport and not go near schools or minors – especially the alleged victim.

Swiderski’s attorney, Paul H. Hentemann, said the suspect will have no problem abiding by those restrictions.

“We recognize that this is a sensitive case,” Hentemann said. “My client will mind his own business and have nothing to do with anyone under the age of 18.”


2005-Ohio-6705, State v. Swiderski

Frank Swiderski convicted of sexual abuse

[Cite as State v. Swiderski, 2005-Ohio-6705.]

THE COURT OF APPEALS
ELEVENTH APPELLATE DISTRICT
LAKE COUNTY, OHIO

 

STATE OF OHIO,                :     O P I N I O N
Plaintiff-Appellee,              :
                                                           CASE NO. 2004-L-112
– vs –                                            :
FRANK Z. SWIDERSKI,  :
Defendant-Appellant.     :

Criminal Appeal from the Court of Common Pleas, Case No. 03 CR 000255.

Judgment: Affirmed.

Charles E. Coulson, Lake County Prosecutor, and Amy E. Cheatham, Assistant Prosecutor, 105 Main Street, P.O. Box 490, Painesville, OH 44077 (For Plaintiff-Appellee).

Daniel S. Chaplin, 1148 Euclid Avenue, #300, Cleveland, OH 44115 (For Defendant-Appellant).

COLLEEN MARY O’TOOLE, J.

{¶1} Appellant, Frank Z. Swiderski, appeals from the judgments of the Lake County Court of Common Pleas, sentencing him to an aggregate prison term of thirty months and adjudicating him as a sexual predator. For the following reasons, we affirm.

{¶2} On July 1, 2003, the Lake County Grand Jury indicted appellant on eight counts of gross sexual imposition, each count a fourth degree felony in violation of R.C. 2907.05(A)(1); three counts of pandering sexually oriented matter involving a minor, each count a fourth degree felony in violation of R.C. 2907.322(A)(5); and four counts of pandering obscenity involving a minor, each count a fourth degree felony in violation of R.C. 2907.321(A)(5). At his arraignment, appellant pleaded not guilty to the foregoing charges.

{¶3} On January 12, 2004, appellant entered a written guilty plea to one count of gross sexual imposition and two counts of pandering sexually oriented material involving a minor. The written guilty plea did not include a recommended sentence.

{¶4} During a change of plea hearing, the court advised appellant of his constitutional and non-constitutional rights incident to trial. Appellant acknowledged that he understood these rights and that his guilty plea would act to waive these rights. The court then accepted appellant’s guilty plea and convicted him on one count of gross sexual imposition and two counts of pandering sexually oriented matter.

{¶5} This matter proceeded to a sentencing hearing and sexual offender classification hearing, which were held contemporaneously. During the hearing, the court considered the testimony and report of Dr. John Fabian (“Dr. Fabian”), and the report of Dr. Michael Arnoff (“Dr. Arnoff”), regarding two separate psychological evaluations of appellant. Also, the court considered the submitted pre-sentence investigation report.

{¶6} The evidence established that appellant’s convictions were based upon his improper sexual contact with a foreign exchange student and his possession of pornographic pictures depicting minor males engaging in various sexual activities. The victim of the improper sexual contact was a seventeen-year-old, male foreign exchange student. Appellant was acting as the victim’s host parent when the improper sexual contact occurred.

{¶7} At the conclusion of the hearing, the court discussed the relevant sentencing and recidivism factors and pronounced its sentence. The court sentenced appellant to a fifteen-month prison term on each of the two counts of pandering sexually oriented material, with the prison terms to run concurrently. The court also sentenced appellant to a fifteen-month prison term on the single count of gross sexual imposition. The fifteen-month prison term for gross sexual imposition was to be served consecutive to the concurrent fifteen-month prison term for pandering sexually oriented material.

{¶8} On June 24, 2004, the court issued a judgment entry which re-stated its findings and sentence. The judgment entry also included the court’s determinations with respect to appellant’s sexual offender classification. Based upon its findings, the court adjudicated appellant as a sexual predator.

{¶9} From this judgment, appellant filed a timely notice of appeal and now sets forth the following five assignments of error:

{¶10} “[1.] The trial court’s sentence violated Blakely v. Washington *** and the case must be remanded for a new sentencing hearing.

{¶11} “[2.] The trial court’s consecutive sentence violated the Ohio Supreme Court’s requirement that consecutive sentences are reserved for the worst offenses and worst offenders pursuant to State v. Comer ***.

{¶12} “[3.] The court’s conclusion that the appellant is not amenable to an available community control sanction is not supported by the record.

{¶13} “[4.] The trial court failed to ensure that the 30 month sentence imposed on the appellant was consistent with similar sentences imposed on similar offenders in violation of R.C. 2929.11(B).

{¶14} “[5.] The evidence is insufficient to sustain a finding that the appellant is a sexual predator.”

{¶15} Under his first assignment of error, appellant contends that, per Blakely v. Washington (2004), 124 S.Ct. 2531, the trial court erred by sentencing him to a nonminimum prison term and consecutive prison terms. We disagree.

{¶16} In Blakely, the defendant pleaded guilty to kidnapping involving the use of a firearm, a class B felony. In the state of Washington, the statutory maximum for a class B felony was ten years; however, other provisions of Washington law limited the range of sentences a judge could impose. Consequently, the “standard” statutory range for the offense to which the defendant pleaded guilty was forty-nine to fifty-three months. Although the guidelines set forth the “standard” sentence, a court could enlarge the “standard” sentence if it found any of a non-exhaustive list of aggravating factors justifying the departure. In Blakely, the trial court determined the defendant acted with “deliberate cruelty” and imposed a sentence of ninety-months, a thirty-seven month upward departure from the “standard.”

{¶17} The United States Supreme Court reversed the sentence, holding a trial court may not extend a defendant’s sentence beyond the statutory maximum when the facts supporting the enhanced sentence are neither admitted by the defendant nor found by the jury. Id. The court defined the statutory maximum as “the maximum sentence a judge may impose solely on the basis of the facts reflected in the jury verdict or admitted by the defendant.” (Emphasis sic.) Id. at 2537.

{¶18} Appellant maintains that the court’s imposition of non-minimum prison terms and consecutive prison-terms exceeded the statutory maximum. Therefore, appellant concludes that, in exceeding the statutory maximum, the court made statutory findings not made by a jury or admitted by appellant, thereby violating Blakely and depriving him of due process.

{¶19} With respect to the non-minimum prison terms, appellant was convicted on three separate fourth degree felonies. The statutory minimum prison-term for a fourth degree felony is six months, while the statutory maximum prison-term is eighteen months. The trial court sentenced appellant to prison terms of fifteen months on each fourth degree felony.

{¶20} R.C. 2929.14(B) states:

{¶21} “(B) *** if the court imposing a sentence upon an offender for a felony elects or is required to impose a prison term on the offender, the court shall impose the shortest prison term authorized for the offense pursuant to division (A) of this section, unless one or more of the following applies:

{¶22} “(1) The offender was serving a prison term at the time of the offense, or the offender previously served a prison term.

{¶23} “(2) The court finds on the record that the shortest prison term will demean the seriousness of the offender’s conduct or will not adequately protect the public from future crime by the offender or others.”

{¶24} To support its upward departure from the minimum prison-terms, the court relied upon a finding that the shortest prison terms would demean the seriousness of appellant’s conduct and not adequately protect the public from future crime.

{¶25} This court has previously not applied the holding of Blakely to the sentencing factors of R.C. 2929.14(B). In doing so, we have concluded that the Blakely holding does not render the trial court’s findings with respect to these factors constitutionally infirm. See, e.g., State v. Fielder, 11th Dist. No. 2003-L-190, 2005-Ohio-3388; State v. Semala, 11th Dist. No. 2003-L-128, 2005-Ohio-2653; State v. Morales, 11th Dist. No. 2003-L-025, 2004-Ohio-7239. We have provided the following explanation:

{¶26} “In State v. Morales, 11th Dist. No. 2003-L-025, 2004-Ohio-7239, we began our analysis by noting that Blakely and the prior case law of the United States Supreme Court had not had the effect of depriving a trial judge of the discretion to consider aggravating circumstances in deciding the length of a defendant’s sentence; instead, the Blakely decision only held that a trial judge cannot make a factual finding which would result in the imposition of a sentence longer than the maximum prison term permissible under the jury verdict. In other words, we concluded that, under Blakely, the Sixth Amendment right to a jury trial had no application so long as the trial judge was imposing a sentence within the general range of terms permissible based upon the jury verdict. The Morales court then held that the factors set forth in R.C. 2929.14(B) were similar in nature to aggravating circumstances because a trial court’s finding concerning the existence of one of the two factors in a particular case only meant that a longer term within the acceptable range could be imposed. As a result, the Morales court ultimately held that the procedure under R.C. 2929.14(B) did not constitute a violation of the basic constitutional right to a jury trial.” Fielder at ¶44.

{¶27} The clear precedent of this court establishes that the trial court’s use of the sentencing factors under R.C. 2929.14(B) did not constitutionally invalidate its imposition of non-minimum prison terms. Instead, the trial court obtained proper statutory authority to impose prison terms which were longer than the statutory minimum when it made the appropriate findings under R.C. 2929.14(B). This portion of appellant’s first assignment of error is not well-taken.

{¶28} Likewise, the court’s imposition of consecutive prison-terms was not constitutionally invalid per Blakely. When imposing consecutive sentences, the trial court must first determine that consecutive sentences are “necessary to protect the public from future crime or to punish the offender and that consecutive sentences are not disproportionate to the seriousness of the offender’s conduct and to the danger the offender poses to the public[.]” R.C. 2929.14(E)(4). Next, the trial court must find that one of the following factors listed in R.C. 2929.14(E)(4) is also present: (a) that the offender was awaiting trial or sentencing or was under community control sanctions; (b) that the harm caused by the offenses was so great that a single prison term would not adequately reflect the severity of the conduct; or (c) that the offender’s prior criminal history demonstrates that consecutive sentences are necessary to protect the public from future crime. State v. Norwood (June 8, 2001), 11th Dist. No. 2000-L-072, 2001 Ohio App. LEXIS 2573.

{¶29} In the case sub judice, the court found that consecutive prison-terms were necessary to protect the public from future crime or to punish appellant and are not disproportionate to the seriousness of his conduct and the danger he poses to the public. The court further found that the harm caused by appellant’s multiple offenses was so great or unusual that no single prison term adequately reflects the seriousness of his conduct.

{¶30} Despite the court’s findings with respect to the statutory sentencing factors, this court has consistently held that a sentencing court’s imposition of consecutive sentences does not violate the rule set forth in Blakely. See, e.g., State v. Taylor, 158 Ohio App.3d 597, 2004-Ohio-5939, at ¶26. See, also, State v. Allen, 11th Dist. No. 2004-L-038, 2005-Ohio-1415, at ¶29; Semala at ¶37. In doing so, we noted that Blakely is distinguishable from the instant case where consecutive sentences have been issued for multiple crimes. Specifically, we noted that Blakely dealt with sentencing for a single crime. See, e.g., Semala at ¶36. Therefore, Blakely does not apply to consecutive sentences “as long as the sentence does not exceed the statutory maximum for each individual underlying offense.” Id.

{¶31} The court sentenced appellant to prison terms of fifteen months on each of the individual underlying fourth degree felonies. As noted previously, the statutory maximum prison-term for a fourth degree felony is eighteen months. Thus, the trial court’s imposition of fifteen-month prison terms did not exceed the statutory maximum. This portion of appellant’s first assignment of error is also not well-taken.

{¶32} Appellant’s first assignment of error is without merit.

{¶33} Appellant’s second, third, and fourth assignments of error challenge the validity of the court’s felony sentence. In examining these assignments of error, we note that, under R.C. 2953.08, our review of a felony sentence is de novo. State v. Bradford (June 1, 2001), 11th Dist. No. 2000-L-103, 2001 Ohio App. LEXIS 2487, at 3. However, this court will not disturb a given sentence unless we find, by clear and convincing evidence, that the record does not support the sentence or that the sentence is otherwise contrary to law. State v. Thomas (July 16, 1999), 11th Dist. No. 98-L-074, 1999 Ohio App. LEXIS 3334. Clear and convincing evidence is that evidence which will produce in the mind of the trier of fact a firm belief or conviction as to the facts sought to be established. Id.

{¶34} Under his second assignment of error, appellant maintains that the court’s consecutive prison-terms were not justified as he did not commit the worst offense nor was he the worst offender. Instead, appellant contends that an examination of certain statutory factors under R.C. 2929.12(E) establishes a low likelihood of recidivism. Thus, appellant concludes that the court erred in issuing consecutive prison-terms.

{¶35} In arguing that the court was required to specifically find that appellant was the worst offender or committed the worst offense, appellant relies upon the following statement by the Ohio Supreme Court:

{¶36} “Consecutive sentences are reserved for the worst offenses and offenders.” State v. Comer, 99 Ohio St.3d 463, 2003-Ohio-4165, at ¶21.

{¶37} Such reliance is misplaced. The Court’s general statement did not mandate a specific finding by the trial court that a defendant committed the worst offense or was the worst offender. Instead, taken in full context, the statement merely established that the trial court’s application of R.C. 2929.14(E)(4) will ensure that consecutive sentences are reserved for the worst offenses and offenders. Id. at ¶13-21. A review of the statutory factors under R.C. 2929.14(E)(4) demonstrates that the court was not required to find that appellant was the worst offender or that he committed the worst offense prior to imposing consecutive prison-terms.

{¶38} The only instance in which R.C. 2929.14 requires the trial court to find that the defendant committed the worst form of the offense is under R.C. 2929.14(C). R.C. 2929.14(C) requires the trial court to find that the defendant committed the worst form of the offense before imposing the maximum prison-term. However, as stated previously, the statute does not require this finding when imposing a consecutive prison-term per R.C. 2929.14(E)(4).

{¶39} Nevertheless, the court was obligated to follow the requirements set forth in R.C. 2929.19(B) when sentencing appellant to consecutive prison-terms. Specifically, R.C. 2929.19(B)(2)(c) requires that the trial court justify its imposition of consecutive prison-terms by making findings that give the court’s reasons for selecting that particular sentence.

{¶40} In the past, this court has held that the findings mandated by R.C. 2929.19(B)(2)(c) and 2929.14 “must appear somewhere on the record of sentence, either in the judgment or in the transcript of the sentencing hearing.” State v. Rone (Dec. 4, 1998), 11th Dist. No. 98-A-0001, 1998 Ohio App. LEXIS 5813, at 6. In Comer, however, the Ohio Supreme Court held that when ordering a defendant to serve consecutive sentences, the trial court must also make its statutorily required findings at the sentencing hearing. Id. at paragraphs one and two of the syllabus.

{¶41} In the case sub judice, the court sentenced appellant to two consecutive fifteen-month prison terms. As stated under appellant’s first assignment of error, the court set forth its findings pursuant to R.C. 2929.14(E)(4), at the sentencing hearing, and as part of its sentencing entry.

{¶42} With respect to the aforementioned findings, the court provided the following reasons in support: (1) the victim was a foreign exchange student and appellant used his position of authority as a host parent to facilitate the offenses; (2) appellant used manipulation and acts of intimidation to assist in committing these offenses; and (3) appellant has admitted to a long history of sexual criminal conduct.

{¶43} The foregoing demonstrates the court’s compliance with Comer and the statutory prerequisites for issuing consecutive sentences. The court’s findings and reasons for issuing consecutive sentences are substantiated by the record and were made part of the sentencing entry and sentencing hearing. Thus, this portion of appellant’s second assignment of error is not well-taken.

{¶44} Moreover, the trial court was required to consider the recidivism factors of R.C. 2929.12(E). The trial court stated that it had considered the recidivism factors of R.C. 2929.12(E) and balanced its consideration of such factors against its findings and the principles and purposes of sentencing. In doing so, the court ultimately determined that certain factors demonstrating a low likelihood of recidivism were outweighed by those factors justifying a consecutive prison-term.

{¶45} The trial court was in the best position to evaluate and balance the relevant statutory factors when determining appellant’s sentence. As a result, we will not substitute our judgment for that of the trial court’s when there is clear and convincing evidence supporting its findings and when the sentence is not otherwise contrary to law. See, e.g., Thomas; Bradford. Here, the court, within its wide sentencing discretion, determined that despite its consideration of recidivism factors, a consecutive prisonterm was necessary. Because the record supports the court’s findings and because the sentence was not contrary to law, the court did not err in issuing a consecutive prisonterm. This portion of appellant’s second assignment of error is also not well-taken.

{¶46} Appellant’s second assignment of error is without merit.

{¶47} Under his third assignment of error, appellant maintains that the court erred in concluding that appellant was not amenable to an available community control sanction. Specifically, appellant argues that the court failed to consider the availability of specific community control sanctions and whether appellant was willing to submit to community control.

{¶48} When imposing a sentence for a felony of the fourth or fifth degree, the trial court must determine if one of the factors enumerated in R.C. 2929.13(B)(1) is present. This statute provides that:

{¶49} “In sentencing an offender for a felony of the fourth or fifth degree, the sentencing court shall determine whether any of the following apply:

{¶50} “***

{¶51} “(d) The offender held a public office or position of trust and the offense related to that office or position[.]”

{¶52} If the trial court finds that (1) one of the foregoing factors is present; (2) that a prison term is consistent with the purposes of sentencing; and (3) that the defendant is not amenable to community control sanctions, a prison term must be imposed. R.C. 2929.13(B)(2)(a). In making these determinations, the court must consider all relevant factors, including the factors affecting the seriousness of the offenses and the potential for recidivism found in R.C. 2929.12(B) through (E). R.C. 2929.12(A).

{¶53} In the case sub judice, the court found that a prison sentence was consistent with the purposes of sentencing and that appellant was “not amenable to an available community control sanction.” And the trial court found that appellant had facilitated the offense by abusing his position of trust as a host parent of the victim. The court also noted that it had considered all relevant factors including the recidivism factors of R.C. 2929.12(B).

{¶54} The trial court clearly considered all relevant statutory factors prior to determining that appellant was not amenable to community control and adequately stated its findings. Thus, the court did not err in sentencing appellant to a prison term rather than community control. Appellant’s third assignment of error is without merit.

{¶55} Under his fourth assignment of error, appellant contends that the trial court failed to ensure that its thirty-month prison term was consistent with sentences for similar offenses. Appellant maintains that the trial court ignored evidence presented at the hearing of similar cases in which the trial court’s sentence did not include a prison term. Therefore, appellant concludes that the court failed to adhere to the sentencing consistency requirement of R.C. 2929.11(B).

{¶56} We agree with appellant that R.C. 2929.11(B) mandates consistency when applying Ohio’s sentencing guidelines. See, e.g., State v. Lyons, 8th Dist. No. 80220, 2002-Ohio-3424, at ¶30. Accordingly, “it is the trial court’s responsibility to insure that it has the appropriate information before it when imposing sentence in order to comply with the purposes of felony sentencing.” Id. However, this court has reasoned that sentencing consistency is not developed via a trial court’s comparison of the existing matter before the court to prior sentences for similar offenders and similar offenses. State v. Spellman, 160 Ohio App.3d 718, 2005-Ohio-2065, at ¶12. Specifically, we stated:

{¶57} “We agree with the rationale of the Lyons court, insofar as the trial court must adhere to the statutory mandate to ensure consistency in sentencing. However, we note, as that court did, that the trial court is required to make its sentencing decisions in compliance with the statute, but need not specifically comb the case law in search of similar offenders who have committed similar offenses in order to ascertain the proper sentence to be imposed.” Id.

{¶58} In short, a consistent sentence is not derived from a case-by-case comparison; rather, it is the trial court’s proper application of the statutory sentencing guidelines that ensures consistency. As discussed previously, the court properly applied and considered the necessary statutory sentencing factors before issuing appellant’s sentence. Moreover, the court’s findings were supported by clear and convincing evidence. Thus, the court’s sentence met the consistency requirement as espoused by R.C. 2929.11(B). Appellant’s fourth assignment of error is without merit.

{¶59} Under his fifth assignment of error, appellant contends that the trial court erred in adjudicating him as a sexual predator. In support of this contention, appellant maintains that several factors, including his age and the absence of a prior criminal record, establish a low likelihood of recidivism. Thus, appellant argues that the court’s sexual predator adjudication was not based upon clear and convincing evidence.

{¶60} R.C. 2950.01(E)(1) defines a sexual predator as a person who has been “convicted of or pleaded guilty to committing a sexually oriented offense and is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses.” In applying the sexual predator definition, a common pleas court can classify an individual as a sexual predator only if it concludes that the state has established both prongs of the definition by clear and convincing evidence. R.C. 2950.09(B)(4). Clear and convincing evidence is the measure or degree of proof which “will produce in the mind of the trier of facts a firm belief or conviction as to the facts sought to be established.” Cross v. Ledford (1954), 161 Ohio St. 469, paragraph three of the syllabus. See, also, State v. Eppinger, 91 Ohio St.3d 158, 164, 2001-Ohio-247.

{¶61} To assist a common pleas court in determining the second prong of the sexual predator definition, specifically, whether appellant is likely to engage in the future in one or more sexually oriented offenses, R.C. 2950.09(B)(3)(a)-(j) sets forth a list of nonexclusive factors that the court must consider. These factors include: (1) the offender’s age; (2) the offender’s prior criminal record; (3) the victim’s age; (4) whether the underlying sexually oriented offense involved multiple victims; (5) whether the offender used alcohol or drugs to impair or incapacitate the victim; (6) whether the offender has previously participated in a rehabilitative program for sexual offenders; (7) any mental illness or mental disability of the offender; (8) the specific nature of the sexual conduct involved in the underlying sexually oriented offense; (9) whether the offender acted cruelly in committing the underlying sexually oriented offense; and (10) any additional behavioral characteristics that contribute to the offender’s conduct.

{¶62} Here, the record demonstrates that the common pleas court considered the factors of R.C. 2950.09(B)(3), and after doing so, concluded there was clear and convincing evidence to support a determination that appellant satisfied both prongs of the sexual predator definition. In particular, the court noted that appellant had pleaded guilty to a sexually oriented offense as defined by R.C. Chapter 2950. The trial court then proceeded to the second prong of its sexual predator classification and provided the following analysis of the requisite factors under R.C. 2950.09(B)(3):

{¶63} “a.) The defendant was sixty-eight (68) years of age at the time of the offense;

{¶64} “b.) The defendant has no prior criminal record;

{¶65} “c.) The victim of the sexually oriented offense for which sentence was imposed was between seventeen (17) and eighteen (18) years of age at the time of the crime;

{¶66} “d.) The sexually oriented offense for which the sentence was imposed involved multiple victims:

{¶67} “1) On Count 1 – the offense involved one (1) victim;

{¶68} “2) On Counts 9 and 10, the Court finds multiple victims depicted in the images of child pornography;

{¶69} “e.) The defendant did not use drugs or alcohol to impair the victim or to prevent the victim from resisting;

{¶70} “f.) The defendant has no prior offenses and, therefore has no prior treatment;

{¶71} “g.) The defendant does have a mental illness or mental disability, to-wit: per Dr. Fabian’s report, the defendant has traits of obsessive/compulsive disorder, traits of pedophilia and traits of ephebophilia;

{¶72} “h.) The nature of the offender’s sexual conduct, sexual contact, or interaction in a sexual context included touching/massaging of the buttocks and thighs. The defendant’s sexual actions were part of a demonstrated pattern of abuse which occurred from August 2002 through April 2003, including possession for several decades of images of child pornography;

{¶73} “i) The nature of the defendant’s actions during the commission of the sexually oriented offense displayed cruelty or threats of cruelty, to-wit: the victim reported verbal threats from the defendant. The defendant yelled at the victim and threatened to send the victim back to Vietnam;

{¶74} “j.) Additional behavioral characteristics that contributed to the defendant’s conduct include the following:

{¶75} “1) The defendant has a long-time history of inappropriate sexual behavior, including sexual activity with young boys.

{¶76} “2) The defendant has a long-time history of taking and viewing images of child pornography, nude photography of [high school] students and nephews.

{¶77} “3) The defendant has a history and has admitted engaging in sexual activity including sexual conduct with his nephews;

{¶78} “4) The defendant is in denial. Based upon investigation, the defendant ‘does not get it’ – behavior with students/young boys/men, is not tolerated by society;

{¶79} “5) The defendant has a history of engaging in lewd and lascivious sexual behavior with male [high school] students in the 1970’s;

{¶80} “6) During the 1970’s, the defendant admits to having high school students at his home and engaging in sexual activity;

{¶81} “7) The defendant’s single, male status, per psychological reports elevates his risk[.]”

{¶82} Despite the trial court’s extensive and detailed findings, appellant claims that clear and convincing evidence did not support a sexual predator adjudication. For instance, appellant claims that the record established that neither Dr. Arnoff nor Dr. Fabian found appellant to be a pedophile. Also, appellant contends that there was no evidence that appellant was diagnosed with an impulse control disorder by Dr. Arnoff and that Dr. Arnoff could not predict with any certainty whether appellant would reoffend.

{¶83} To the contrary, our thorough review of the record demonstrates that the court’s findings were supported by clear and convincing evidence. Namely, the findings are substantiated by Dr. Fabian’s testimony and psychological report, Dr. Arnoff’s psychological report, the pre-sentence investigation report; the victim’s statement, and appellant’s own admissions. As noted by the trial court, Dr. Fabian testified that appellant demonstrated traits of an obsessive compulsive disorder. The record also established that Dr. Fabian found appellant had traits of pedophilia. Further, Dr. Arnoff’s report recognized that appellant’s test results placed him in a medium-high risk of recidivism.

{¶84} While the record accurately reflects the absence of some factors which would support a sexual predator adjudication, the overwhelming majority of factors found by the common pleas court demonstrated that appellant was likely to commit a sexually oriented offense in the future. Many of these relevant factors were based upon appellant’s self-reporting. Thus, the court’s findings are supported by clear and convincing evidence and both prongs of the sexual predator definition have been satisfied. Appellant’s fifth assignment of error is without merit.

{¶85} Based upon the foregoing analysis, appellant’s five assignments of error are without merit. We hereby affirm appellant’s sentence and sexual predator adjudication.

DONALD R. FORD, P.J.,

CYNTHIA WESTCOTT RICE, J.,

concur.

Is WV Part Of A National Pedophile Network Exploiting Foreign Exchange Students?

Where Facts And Controversy In The News Come Together In Truth

Saturday, February 21, 2009

What The State Department & Exchange Student Industry Don’t Want You To Know….. By,JackSwint & Sam Webber

PART ONE ofourtwo part story takes you first inside of a multi million dollar industry known on the surface as the National Foreign Exchange Student Program. The original concept and intent is easy; it’s a program that became popular after WWII in which a student, typically in secondary or higher education, chooses to live in a foreign country to learn, among other things, the language and culture. Americasponsorsapproximately 30,000 a year.Below the surface, a dark side has evolved that has allowed pedophiles, rapists and common thieves to infiltrate this program and use it as a black market sex slave network that preys on children that we invited into our country. What’s most alarming is that you can actually go online and order upthe student of your choice. View their picture, read their bio and then pick that childto be delivered to your doorstep. (link below) It’s like the old Burger King commercial where you can have it “your way.” Some predators whohave been arrested and convicted of sex crimes against exchange students admit they pre-picked their teen because they wanted to have sex with that specific one.Example: Convicted predators like Frank Swiderski (OH), Peter Ruzzo (CA), and Richard Young (KS), have, in one form or another admitted the desire to have sex with their exchange student simply upon seeing their photo. Ruzzo even considered it a challenge. He accomplished it too. In West Virginia, the exchange program has also fallen prey to students being groomed for sex and violence by a criminal element that has cloaked itself in the form of sponsors, supervisors and host parents. In our state alone, a pedophile network exists that includes pedophiles in at least Kanawha, Cabell, McDowell and Fayette Counties.

Do officials at the board of education know of this problem within the exchange program?? Yes, sources tell us numerous complaints are on file and sealed within the WV State Board of Education that date back years. At least one former teacher-principal had to resign because of his pedophile-rapist acts that the board concealed to head off a scandal. Thomas Scott Kingwas moved around from county to county school systems until they had to finally force his resignation. He still is a host parent and sponsor today. But, over the years he has become involved in a network of pedophiles operating not only in WV, but across the country and abroad.

According to records we obtained, West Virginia hostedapproximately 180 exchange students in 2008. Thomas Scott King had at least 3 of those kids living in his home. This is not a problem of just a few bad apples ruining the student exchange program. It has become the new nation wide port of entry for pedophiles to prey on kids.On The National Level

To most of us we think of the Foreign Exchange Student Program as a chance for teens to come to America and attend our schools and live with host families in the country most foreigners consider the land of freedom and great opportunities. At least that is what the pamphlets, brochures and websites from the business thatoperate these programs detail. What they don’t admit or advertise is that, just in the US alone, this is a multi million dollar industry that generates from $9,000 to $22,000 per student per year. They also hide the fact that some really bad people are intentionally destroying a really good program that was once held beyond reproach.It’s not just about sex. Some host families and sponsors have been convicted of crimes from petty theft to extortion. Several documented cases show that students were placed in the homes of parolee’s with criminal convictions for aggravated assault/robbery and accusations of rape. A retired parole officer in Eugene, Oregon confirmed during a 3-year period supervising sex offenders of five instances of them gaining access to new child victims by becoming hosts to foreign students.The retired officer, stated in a report….. “I learned of 5 instances of sex offenders, in this county, gaining access to new child victims by becoming hosts of foreign students. One was convicted of molesting a 16 year-old Japanese girl. Another convicted sex offender hosted a 17 year-old Japanese boy, but the boy returned home before he could be questioned to determine if he was abused. Another convicted rapist hosted a 18 year-old Japanese girl; she stayed in his home only a few days before the situation became known to authorities and girl was removed, but not before the rapist began touching her inappropriately (grooming behavior, a prelude to raping her.) A year later, this same rapist was accepted by a host organization to host a 16 year-old Thai girl.”

Some students arrive in the US with no hosts; no schools and they are placed in trailer parks and motels or live (contrary to regulations) with coordinators. They are paraded around shopping centers looking for potential hosts. So, what government entity oversees the entire program?? The U.S. State Department, who in turn rely on the same organizations that are making millions of dollars each year. When faced with a serious complaint, the government agencies stance has routinely been that it is a “contractual dispute” with the student’s family and youth exchange organization.

Who tries to oversee all of this?? Watchdog associations and concerned citizens like Danielle Grijalva, founder of the organization, “Committee of Safety for Foreign Exchange Students.” Danielle says the problem is just too big. And, it appears on the surface that one reason no one really wants to address it because so much money is being made in this growing industry. Her efforts have paid off; their organization is now comprised of over 1,500 CSFES volunteers from across the globe. Even their press releases are now translated and appear in over 35 newspapers internationally.

Before becoming an advocate for the abused, Danielle was first an area representative for the Center for Cultural Interchange, a foreign exchange student program based in St. Charles, Ill. She helped find host families for students studying in the U.S., securing high school placement for them as well as advising them on local culture and customs. She is now the watchdog of those people who prey on those innocent students we have invited to our country like the spider to the fly.

Then on Sept. 20, 2004, she learned about what she calls “the dark side” of the foreign exchange program. A 16-year-old exchange student from France sat in her living room and told her that within a month of his arrival his host father photographed him when he was sleeping, showed him online pornography and offered him alcohol. Grijalva instincts as a mother took over and she looked for help from everyone she could think of: local police, employers, school administrators. The more she researched, the more she learned that abuse at the hands of host families or individuals, across the world, was a silent problem.

More than 30,000 students arrive in the U.S. each year through foreign-exchange programs. Grijalva believes abuse can go unreported due to language barriers, cultural differences and student fears that visas may be taken away. Some students have been told if they make a complaint, they will be deported in less then 72 hours. And, they will be sent home in shame.

“I began to ask questions,” she said. “. . . These were invisible victims.”

In 2006, Danielle began obtaining complaints. Right away she documented 54 cases of sexual abuse and even extortion. The state department had only reported 5 cases of sexual abuse for that time period. After her inquiries for copies of those complaints, the state department reluctantly added 20 additional cases of alleged abuse. The state department claims they have invoked stronger policies in placing students with host families and or sponsors such as a criminal background check.

But, as statistics show, most pedophiles and predators have never been convicted of a crime. Some are the pillars of the community concealing their deep dark secrets. Sources we spoke to say some background checks had only consisted of providing 3 references. Complaints from students being raped,sodomized, beaten and robbed are rampant across the United States and have begun escalating over the past 6 years. Stories have echoed back from parents of the children after returning to their homeland questioning if this type of behavior is common in our society.If a student or parent’s complaint makes it up the ladder to overseeing agencies likeAYUSA International, a standard response comes in the form of a “warning letter” to deter any further problems. Reading between the lines, one may decipher this letter as a “shut up”, or youwill be dealt withaccordingly. Up to and including deportation.”We obtained one such warning letter that states to a student complaining of abuse…. “Consequently, the purpose of this letter is to inform you that you are officially on warning with AYUSA and to clarify with you what we expect of you as an AYUSA student. Failure to make an effort to change your behavior/attitude will result in being placed on probation with the AYUSA program.” That letter goes on to say, “…. you were selected for this program because we believe that you have the maturity and capability to deal with the demands of a year in the United States.

AYUSA expects that you will take this warning letter very seriously and will make strides toward changing your attitude and behavior and completing a successful year in the U.S. Weanticipate that you will act, for theremainder of your stay, in a manner befitting anAYUSA student and a junior ambassador of Montenegro. In the end, the studentwas sent home early after posting complaints online of the abuse. To add insult to injury, when a studentis returned home early, these companies refuse to refund the parents money.State & Federal lawsuits against companies s like ASSE, AISE & AYUSA have exposed the reported ongoing problems of abuse and how these companies fail to follow federal statutes that are in place to protect such acts from occurring. But, these types of legal actions can take years to make it into the judicial system. By then, the damageis done, and the student hasreturned back to their country and is trying to deal with the trauma and disgrace we subjected them to. Reports confirm some teens become suicidal; self mutilate themselves, withdrawal from society and even horde food which demonstrates possible starvation tacticshad been used on them to submit to their abuser.More and more arrests and convictions are occurring. In 90% of the cases, the victim knew their assailants. Sadly enough, statistics show that the majority of offenders are the teachers & other school officials who these kids placed all of their trust in!!!

Exchange Students In WV

In November of 2008 we published an expose on former WV teacher & principal Thomas Scott King. His brother, Casey, came forward with overwhelming and shocking information how his older brother had raped and molested him from the age of 7 years old. Last year, Casey went to the WV state police with his complaint. Casey King’s motivation?? To finally face those demons of what his now 60 year old brother had done to him. And, more so, to stop this man who reportedly continues to prey on young teens for his deviant sexual gratification today.

Unfortunately, the WV trooper investigating that complaint retired. To date, no one has resumed the investigation. We have been advised that the new WV Police Commander, Colonel Pack, has spoken to State Police Captain Schoolcraft on or about Tuesday February 10, 2009, and that Schoolcraft and Pack have discussed the filed complaint on Thomas Scott King.

Scott King was considered a hero among students. According to one source, who at the time attended Welch Jr. High, “He was the cool teacher who always bought us booze and took us to WVU ballgames and many school trips.” He went on to say that all of these boys were 13 to 15 at the time and that “we didn’t know what a pedophile was.”

Since that November story, we have continued to investigate and gather information on the fact that, even though Scott King had to resign his teaching credentials years ago for alleged sex abuse, he has remained a member in great standing with the national and local levels of the Foreign Exchange Student Program. He is not just a host dad and sponsor any longer, King is now also a part of a state wide network of pedophiles, some who are prominent and well respected in the community. He has climbed the ladder in this multi-million dollar profit industry and joined the ranks of hosts and sponsors that are better known as a “high placer.”

DanielleGrijalva explained to us the open door possibilities and perks of being a “high placer.” Especially, if the host and sponsor has criminal intent. “There are many volunteers, local coordinators, regional coordinators, directors, etc., within the student exchange community. All are usually responsible for locating and securing host families and high schools for an exchange student.For those volunteers, coordinators, directors, etc., who go ‘above and beyond’ by placing thirty, forty or fifty (plus) exchange students, theyare nicknamed and referred to in this community as a “high placer.” When you consider that the natural parents of these prospective exchange students will spend approx. $8,000 to $22,000 to study abroad as aJ1 participant, a “high placer” becomes very lucrative to the agency they work/volunteer for. Many student exchange agencies are very protective of their “high placers” and stand behindmost every move they make.”According to official records, King has hosted as a parent, supervised or sponsored children from the following countries. Germany, Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Holland, Hungry, Netherlands, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Turkey & Yugoslavia.

Next Friday at 2pm…. Hear from Scott King s victims, and learn the names of prominent & respected people in WV who want to come forward because they know of the inner workings of a multi-county pedophile network. Learn what Scott Kings former students & school faculty members really thought of him.

Read how one former student allegedly recalls waking up naked in a bedroom located in Scott Kings home and having to flee into the night and seek refuge at a neighbors home. Another student from Welch, reportedly was provided alcohol by King and awoke in a motel to find himself naked while King was standing over him taking pictures…

End Of Part One…..

Jack Swint-Publisher
West Virginia News

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Anyone who has questions or information concerning abuse within the Foreign Exchange Student Program is asked to e-mail or call : … Danielle Grijalva … dgrijalva@csfes.org(760) 295-0716
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Original story on Thomas Scott King
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Example of websites that allow you to match & pick your choice of child: Aspect Foundation /
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Foreign Exchange Organizations With The Highest Complaints & Lawsuits
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http://www.aspectfoundation.org/
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http://www.asse.com/
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http://www.ayusa.org/
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8 comments:

Anonymous said…
I would really like the Department of Education and the police in Fayette, McDowell and Kanawah counties to provide an answer as to why this man was not brought up on any formal charges related to his involvement with his students, both US and international. Can anyone get away with attempted rape or do they have to be an educator to do that? This man lives and works in Charleston today. Where are all the social activists in Charleston? These are children being raped and they’re sitting on their hands?
Anonymous said…
This sounds a lot like the same type cover up thatoccured with Catholic priests and young boys. It sounds like the government & school system is trying to keep this hidden from the public.If all this is true, and it sounds like it is, pedophiles have found a new playground.
Anonymous said…
If the State Police wont investigate the complaint filed by Casey King against his older brother for alleged rape, then maybe the Department Of Justice can. It appears state agencies (like the board of education) doesn’t want this scandal exposed or justice for kids!
Anonymous said…
Kinda makes you wonder how many pedophiles are in administration at the Department of Education in West Virginia. There must be some reason why they don’t want justice for the children. I wonder what the official response was?
Counselor said…
Thomas Scott Kingwas named as principal at Matewan High School in 1989-1990 school year. I was on to him the second week. As a counselor I knew he was an evil man. He always had a foreign exchange student in his home. He constantly had groups of boys in his home. His son was asophmore when he came to Matewan.I was always concerned about his son. I hope and pray he pays for the damages he has done to all the innocent boys. I hope he is hung by the balls.
Anonymous said…
What is the westvirginia authorities waiting on???? Investigate Scott King. Investigate the Pedophile problems. Get off their ass and look into this information.There is to much here not to be true!!
Anonymous said…
Child Focus, or the European Center for Missing and Sexually Exploited Children, was founded in 1998 by Daniel Cardon de Lichtbuer and headed by this person ever since. In 2005, de Lichtbuer became chairman of the International Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (ICMEC), headquartered in Washington and founded in 1999. Who is this Lichtbuer? First of all, he is quite big in the financial world, with former positions in Banque Bruxelles Lambert, the Belgian Bankers’ Association, VP Bank Liechtenstein (with Nikolaus von Liechtenstein), Thomas Cook Traveller Cheques and the European Financial Marketing Association. He also has been executive president of the aristocratic Europa Nostra. But things become really problematic upon reading that de Lichtbuer is a member of the honorary committee of Cercle de Lorraine, together with with Maurice Lippens and Etienne Davignon. Equally worrying is his position as honorary executive president of the Koninklijke Vereniging der Historische Woonsteden en Tuinen van België, together with prince Alexander de Merode (former chair) and Count Ghislain d’Ursel. Davignon used to be a board member too. There’s another indication that de Lichtbuer might not be the best choice for an anti- child abuse organization: 1998, Stef Janssens, ‘The names from the cover up’, p. 33: “In 1989, [Nicolas] de Kerchove d’Ousselghem [CEPIC; chef de cabinet of Vanden Boeynants; contact of VdB to the PIO intelligence organization] and Paul Vankerkhoven, CEPIC member and co-founder of Cercle des Nations [among many other things]… were employees of the magazine ‘Revue Belge’. This right-wing magazine had as manager the present director of the Center for Missing Children and former BBL-director Daniel Cardon de Lichtbuer. What in itself is not reprehensible, but does say something about the milieu in which the present director of this Center was involved with.” To clarify, that milieu appears to be the highest level child abuse milieu …
(uit: http://www.isgp.eu)

2013 April: 20 more years for ‘host father’ serial sex abuser

April 2013

Takashi Kajiwara, who was taught by Ricks in Japan, told the Washington Post that, on a 1994 US road trip Ricks plied him with tequila in a hotel room until he passed out and then molested him and took nude photos. The following year Ricks was accused of shoplifting and returned to the US, where this pattern of behaviour – plying teenage boys with alcohol until they passed out before being molested – continued.

In the mid-1990s two international students hosted by Ricks and his wife in Georgia found pornographic photographs of themselves and burned them, according to the Post. Local police were alerted but the students did not press charges. Shortly afterwards Ricks was fired from the exchange programme for allegedly stealing $2,000 from a Brazilian student. He moved across the state border to Maryland, where he taught in local high schools and began to host students for another agency.

Ricks’s contract to teach in Maryland expired in 2003 after parents’ concerns were passed to child protection services, but he continued to host students. In his next teaching job, in Virginia, parents alerted his school principal of an inappropriate online message, and he was later denied a full teaching licence. Facebook exchanges between Ricks and a former student led to a 2010 police raid which uncovered numerous journals, videotapes and photos documenting decades of abuse by Ricks, including those of the German victim.

Under 2005 US law all families hosting the 30,000 foreign exchange students who study at US high schools each year must have criminal record checks. But since sex offender registers are kept by individual states, abusers can avoid detection by crossing state lines. Last year the US State Department turned down requests for host families to be vetted by the FBI, a system used for Scout masters, among others.

———————————————————-
2010 Jul 27: Former Danville teacher arrested for sexual assault
2010 Jul 28: Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses
2010 December: North Carolina revokes Kevin Garfield Ricks’ teacher’s license
2011 Mar 08: FBI victim declaration for victims of Kevin Garfield Ricks

2011 Mar 08: FBI victim declaration for victims of Kevin Garfield Ricks

FBI Letter Kevin Ricks

—————————————————————
2010 Jul 27: Former Danville teacher arrested for sexual assault
2010 Jul 28: Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses
2010 December: North Carolina revokes Kevin Garfield Ricks’ teacher’s license

2010 December: North Carolina revokes Kevin Garfield Ricks’ teacher’s license

Revoked License

The State Board of Education first revoked a teacher’s license in December 1967. Since that time it has taken action against more than 430 licenses. There are nine grounds for suspending or revoking a license:
  1. fraud, material misrepresentation or concealment in the application for the license
  2. changes in or corrections of the license documentation that make the individual ineligible to hold a license
  3. conviction or entry of a plea of no contest, as an adult, of a crime if there is a reasonable and adverse relationship between the underlying crime and the continuing ability of the person to perform any of his/her professional functions in an effective manner
  4. final dismissal of a person by a local board pursuant to G.S. 115C-325(e)(1)b. [immorality], if there is a reasonable and adverse relationship between the underlying misconduct and the continuing ability of the person to perform any of his/her professional functions effectively
  5. final dismissal of a person by a LEA under G.S. 115C-325(e)(1)e. [physical or mental incapacity]
  6. resignation from employment with a LEA without thirty work days’ notice, except with the prior consent of the local superintendent;
  7. revocation of a license by another state
  8. any other illegal, unethical or lascivious conduct by a person, if there is a reasonable and adverse relationship between the underlying conduct and the continuing ability of the person to perform any of his/her professional functions in an effective manner; and
  9. failure of school administrator to report revocable conduct. The State Board also accepts the voluntary surrender of a license, but the file must include the basis for the surrender that established conduct that could have resulted in suspension or revocation.

A list of All Disciplinary Actions to Date

—————————————————————–
2010 Jul 27: Former Danville teacher arrested for sexual assault
2010 Jul 28: Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

2010 Jul 27: Former Danville teacher arrested for sexual assault

By Catherine Amos – Danville Register & Bee

DANVILLE – A former Danville teacher with no record of complaints from the local school system has been exposed as a possible sexual predator with a history spanning decades in multiple states.

Kevin G. Ricks, 49, was arrested in Prince William County in February and was indicted on felony charges of aggravated sexual battery, sodomy and two counts of indecent liberties stemming from a December incident, according to court records. Ricks has a court hearing Thursday in which he is expected to plead guilty to one count of indecent liberties with a minor under his supervision, according to The Washington Post.

In a massive four-month investigation, The Washington Post uncovered Ricks’ history in a story Sunday, revealing the former teacher spent time living and teaching in Danville from 1995 to late 2000. According to the Post, Ricks continuously hosted “dozens of students” through a foreign exchange program at his Marshall Terrace home.

Juliet Jennings, assistant superintendent of human services for Danville Public Schools, began working with DPS a few months after Ricks was hired as a full-time teacher in 1997, although she said she did not remember him. According to DPS records, Ricks worked as a substitute teacher from 1995-97 before the school system hired him to work as a full-time teacher for the 1997-98 school year.

“We had no complaints about him,” Jennings said, “in terms of his interactions with students as a substitute or a teacher. That never came to us.”

Jennings said the foreign exchange program, Education First, had no affiliation with DPS, and the students Ricks hosted did not attend Danville Public Schools. School officials’ first inkling of any problems with Ricks came in March when a Post reporter called about his employment history here, Jennings said.

Ricks worked as a high school English teacher at Langston Focus School, where at the time the campus was split into four “schools” of focus areas, such as literature or science. That structure was disbanded more than eight years ago and the Langston campus currently serves as an alternative high school for at-risk students.

Although Ricks did not have his teaching license, Jennings said, it was policy at that time to grant a new hire one year to obtain his or her full license. But Ricks failed to get his license by the end of the school year, and DPS dismissed him. Jennings said he continued to work for the school system as a substitute teacher until November 2000.

Jennings noted that the district’s current policy for obtaining a teaching license gives new hires 30 days to obtain a license.

Hiring procedures require extensive background checks, which include running a candidate’s fingerprints through the FBI database and conducting Child Protective Services checks. Jennings said Ricks passed both checks.

“Looking at it from a human resources standpoint,” she said, “the only other way the information could have been shared is from reference checks. Reference checks were made (on Ricks), but the information, were it known, was not shared.

“… Without a conviction, unless information is shared (through references), we wouldn’t know. That’s what hurts school systems.”

Although there were no allegations on record during Ricks’ tenure with Danville Public Schools, Jennings said the news of his exploits was “disgusting.”

“It’s not something that good educators need to have haunting them,” she said. “It just makes me angry.”

————————————————————
2010 Jul 28: Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

2010 Jul 28: Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 28, 2010

ALEXANDRIA, Va. – Kevin Garfield Ricks, 50, of Federalsburg, Md., was charged in a criminal complaint today on charges of transporting and possessing child pornography.

Neil H. MacBride, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Shawn Henry, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI Washington Field Office; and Douglas W. Keen, Chief of Police for the City of Manassas, made the announcement.  Ricks faces a minimum of five years and a maximum of 30 years in prison and up to a lifetime of supervision if convicted on all charges.

According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, between about September 2007 and his arrest on Feb. 18, 2010, the defendant was a teacher at a high school in Manassas, Va.  After his arrest on local charges stemming from allegations that Ricks had sexual relations with a 16-year-old boy, Ricks’s laptop computer was searched.  The search allegedly uncovered several images of child pornography.  The affidavit alleges that further investigation revealed that Ricks brought the laptop from his residence in Virginia to his residence in Maryland when he returned on weekends.

The investigation into the case remains ongoing. Ricks is currently incarcerated in the Prince William County Adult Detention Center.

This case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and Manassas Police Department.  Assistant United States Attorneys John Eisinger and Jerry Smagala are prosecuting the case on behalf of the United States.

Criminal complaints are only charges and not evidence of guilt.  A defendant is presumed to be innocent until and unless proven guilty.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/vae.  Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia at http://www.vaed.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.uspci.uscourts.gov.

2010 Jul 28 - Criminal Complaint against Kevin Garfield Ricks

………………………………………………………………………..

Case progression

USA Regulations

§ Sec. 62. 25 Secondary school students.
(f) Student enrollment.
(2) Under no circumstance may a sponsor facilitate the entry into the United States of an exchange student for whom a written school placement has not been secured.

2014 Oct 2: Russia ends US student exchange in part over ‘friendly relations’ of gay men

  • theguardian.com, Thursday 2 October 2014 22.08 BST

Russian authorities have cancelled a long-running foreign exchange program with the United States, alleging that a gay couple persuaded a young man to stay with them and apply for asylum after he was meant to return home.

In announcing the end of Russia’s participation in the US government-run Future Leaders Exchange (Flex) program, children’s rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov claimed that two gay men became the legal guardians of a Russian student, after the student left his original host family and stayed in America when the school year ended in May.

“One of the reasons [for the decision] was the gross violation by the host country, the United States, of the obligation to unconditionally return students from Russia who travel there to study,” Astakhov wrote on his Twitter account on Wednesday.

US ambassador to Russia John Tefft said in a statement the Russian government had canceled its participation in Flex, the largest educational exchange program between the two countries, for 2015-16. Since it was founded in 1992, the state department-financed program has brought 23,000 students aged 15 to 17 from former Soviet countries to study in American schools and live with local families for one academic year, including about 8,000 students from Russia.

Astakhov said in an interview with the official government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta that the student, who was born in 1997, moved in with two men in Michigan, “and they gradually developed – how can I say this carefully – close friendly relations.”

“The men wanted to register their guardianship over him and have him live with them, and he agreed,” he said.

Russian state news agency Itar-Tass reported that the student met the gay couple, elderly veterans who had previously adopted two American boys, in church, quoting legal representatives of the Russian embassy in the United States. The couple offered to become his immigration sponsors and pay for him to study at Harvard University, it reported.

“Under their influence and with the permission of his American host family, the young Russian turned himself in to US immigration authorities and asked for asylum, saying that he was gay,” Itar-Tass reported.

Human rights organisations have accused the Russian government of promoting discrimination following a 2013 law against gay propaganda, and this year the country passed legislation banning the adoption of Russian children by same-sex couples or single people in countries where same-sex marriage is legal. Previously, Russia also banned all adoptions by US citizens.

Foreign ministry human rights commissioner Konstantin Dolgov said in a statement on Wednesday that the Flex program had “created conditions for getting around Russian law, such as the ban on adoptions by American citizens, including those of non-traditional orientation … Such an incident unfortunately took place.”

Itar-Tass reported that the student met with his Russian mother in the presence of local lawyers to tell her he was seeking asylum. “As far as the embassy knows, these lawyers themselves observe a non-traditional sexual orientation,” the agency wrote. During the meeting, his mother “at times cried and took medicine, at other times was happy for some reason”, it quoted embassy representatives as saying.

David Patton, executive vice-president of American Councils for International Education, which administers the Flex program, said the Michigan student had been placed in a “traditional home stay”. If students refuse to leave after the program, it becomes an “immigration-naturalisation issue”, he said.

“Over years of the Flex program and 8,000 participants, the non-returnee rate is less than 1%, but human beings are human beings and can’t always be controlled, and there are occasions when people decide to stay,” Patton said. “At that point we are unable, we have no authority to put them on a plane.”

According to Astakhov, at least 15 Russians have stayed in the United States over the years after traveling there on various exchange programs.

Anton Meshkov, a 2012-2013 Flex participant, said the fact that 15 young people stayed was not a “serious reason to take away the chance to travel from hundreds of kids”.

“It’s absurd to suppose that the program could facilitate the seduction of young Russians,” Meshkov said. “As a participant in this program myself, I know what a serious selection process host families go through.”

Forte (Group) International, Inc. / Forte International Exchange Association / Astar Education Institute

Forte Group International, Inc (FGI)

  • Astar Education Institute
  • Forte International Inc.
    • Forte International Exchange Association (FIEA)
    • Forte International Travel Inc.
  • Forte International Enterprise, Inc
    • Forte Shanghai Office
    • Forte Guangzhou Office

————————————-

History:

Forte International Inc. (DofC: 930278: 1993)

  • Business trips for private and public sectors in China and the US.
  • Owner: Mubiao Chen

National Press Building, 529 14TH ST NW # 270, Washington DC 20004
Telephone: (202) 628 8180 / (202) 833-4167 / Fax: (202) 296-8685

DC: 1901 Pennsylvania, Ave. NW. # 406, Washington DC 20006-340
Phone: 202-833-4185 / 703 237 1688 / Fax: 703 237 0889
Email: forte@forteexchange.org / forteusa@aol.com

    Mubiao Biao Chen

 

Virginia: 7115 Leesburg Pike, Falls Church, Virginia 22043
Telephone: 703-237-1688 (Shared with FIEA)
Website: http://www.forteusa.org / http://www.forteintl.com

  • President: Mubiao Chen
  • Helen Yang (Virginia): 202-628-8226

Bonmen International, Inc. (VA: 0518861: 1999)

In 2000 its fictitious name became Forte Group International, Inc (FGI).

  • Forte’s import/export business is dedicated to introducing goods and products into the Chinese market through branch offices in China. Bonmen’s principal office is at:

15080 Gaines Mill Cir Haymarket, VA 20169-4500
Tel: (703) 754-1606

  • President: Jean Chang: (703) 754-1606
  • Orion Richardson: (202) 833 9876 / (202) 628 8226 / (202) 296 8685
  • The Astar Education Institute shares office address.
    • Telephone: (703) 368-6838

Virginia: FGI (VA: 0735443, 2011)

Management firm for its subsidiaries.

7864 Donegan Dr., # 168, Manassas, VA 20109
Tel 703-368-6838 / Fax 703-368-6837

  • President: Jean Y. Zhang
  • Director: Ping Zhang
  • Pingzhang Llc

Also found at this address is:

On its website FGI lists as its USA Head Office:

  • National Press Building
    529 14th St. NW, Suite 270
    Washington, D.C. 20045, U.S.A
    Tel: (202) 628-8180
    Fax: (202) 296-8685
    Email: info@forteintl.com
  • Beijing Office:
    Room 117, Building B, No. 40 Liangmaqiao Road, Beijing 100016, China
    Tel: (86) 10-6464-1516
    Fax: (86) 10-6466-4815
    Email: fortebeijing@gmail.com
  • Shanghai Office:
    Shenergy International Building, No.1 Middle Fuxing Road 1903, Shanghai 200021,China
    Tel: (86) 21-6390-0890 / 6390-0896
    Fax: (86) 21-6390-0987
    Email: forteshanghai@gmail.com

Forte International Enterprise, Inc. (FIE) (DC: 230487: 2003)

1901 Pennsylvania, Ave. NW. # 406, Washington DC 20006-340
Phone: 202-833-4185 / 703 237 1688 / Fax: 703 237 0889
Email: forte@forteexchange.org / Website: http://www.forteusa.org

  • FIE’s license in District of Columbia has been revoked.

Virginia: FIE (VA: F179868: 2009) FIE calls itself a consulting firm.

7115 Leesburg Pike Suite 217, Falls Church, VA 22043
Tel: (703)237-1688 / Fax:(703)237-0889
Email: Forte@fortusa.org

  • President: Mubiao Chen
  • Forte Shanghai Office
    Shanghai Jingan District
    Shimen Er Lu 333/3
    Suite C, 20th Floor, Shanghai, China 200041
    Tel: 021-6258-3347 / Fax: 021-6253-6928
    Email: Fortesh@vip.163.com
  • Forte Guangzhou Office
    Guangzhou Shuiyin Erheng Lu
    Xingcheng Guangchang Plaza, Suite 1506, 15th Floor, Guangzhou, China 510075
    Tel: 020-3759-8640 / Fax: 020-3759-8493
    Email: Fortegz@hotmail.com
  • Forte Beijing Office
    Beijing Chaoyang District, B1207, Zhubang, 100 Balizhuangxili
    Beijing, China 100025
    Tel: 010-8586-5598 / Fax:010-8586-5367

Forte International Travel

Forte International Travel has been advertising since at least 1994 and their phone number is the same as the number for Forte at the National Press Building phone number (202) 833 4167.

  • anita@forteintl

Forte International Exchange Association  (FIEA) (DC: 210958: 2001)

National Press Building, 529 14th St. NW, Suite 270, Washington, D.C. 20045
Tel: (202) 628-8180 / Fax: (202) 296-8685
Email: info@forteintl.com

  • Rebecca Huang: ebecca@forteintl.com
  • Operations manager: Gaosheng Huang

FIEA’s license in District of Columbia has been revoked.

California (reg.no: C2461168):  Forte International Exchange Center was registered by Ronda Hertz in 2002. Its name was changed into FIEA in 2010.

  • President: Mubiao Chen (MB Cher) (keeps books and records)

Virginia (reg.no: F179769). FIEA was registered in Virginia in 2009 by Mubiao Chen. Principal address:

7115 Leesburg Pike, Suite 217
Falls Church VA 22043
PH: (703) 237 1688 | Toll Free: (888) 866 6869 | Fax: (703) 237 0889
Email: Forte@ForteExchange.org / Website: http://www.ForteExchange.org

  • President: Mubiao Chen
  • National Director: Diane Latvala: (571) 334 4779 / fax: (888) 524 8818 / dianel@forteexchange.org
  • Responsible officer: Ava Chen: (703) 237 1688 / avac@forteexchange.org

Forte International at the Astar Institute
7864 Donegan Drive, Manassas, VA 20109.
Toll-free: 1-888-89-FORTE / Tel: 202-628-8226 / Fax: 703-368-6837
Kevin Boyle: kevin@forteintl.com
Elizabeth Marine: elizabeth@astarinstitute.org

Shanghai office

  • Shimen Er Lu
    333 Neng #3, Shanghai Jingan District, 200041, China
    Phone: +86 21-6258-3347 / Fax: +86 21-6253-6928
    Email: fortesh@vip.163.com

AStar Education Institute (VA: 0667243: 2006)

AStar lists itself as a Chinese-American company that offers ETS/ESL/TESOL testing site, citizenship classes, nursing assistant, computer skills.

  • United States
  • National Press Building
    529 14th Street, NW, Washington DC 20045, U.S.A.
    Tel: +1 703-368-6838 / Fax: +1 703-368-6837
    Website: http://www.astarinstitute.org/ Email: info@astarinstitute.org
  • Jasper Yang: jasper@astarinstitute.org
    • Host families receive monthly stipend
  • China
    Shenergy International Building
    No. 1 Middle Fuxing Road #1903, Shanghai, China 200021
    Tel: 021-6390-0896

    • Hainan Provincial Service Center for Scholarly Exchange

Documentary and articles about Finnish exchange students

I remind you once again to take pictures of the condition of your home, that you record conversations with the exchange organization (cell-phones can do this today) when you need to complain and that you forward copies of complaint emails and sms’s to your family at home.

Documentary by MOT on Finnish YLE about what an exchange year should not be was sent 10/07/2013. The program first part of the half.

The second half of the documentary is also to be found on You Tube.

You can also read articles about this case at these links:

Valtaosa vaihto-oppilaista tyttöjä

Yhdysvaltoihin 9000 eurolla

Vaihto-oppilaiden surkea kuluttajansuoja

Vaihto-oppilas heitteillä: käsikirjoitus

Surkea vaihtovuosi

YFU/YFU USA – bankruptcy and resurrection in 2002

Subject: Have YFU USA changed their stripes?
Date: Thu, 31 Jul 2014 22:43:38 +0200
From: Lise Almenningen <margarethesdatter@csfes.org>
To: oighotline@state.gov, James T Alexander <AlexanderJT@state.gov>, Brandi Duffy <duffyb@state.gov>, Robin Lerner <lernerrj@state.gov>, Elizabeth Dickerson <DickersonEB@state.gov>, Susan Geary <GearySA@state.gov>, Hawkins S <hawkinsks@state.gov>
CC: dgrijalva@csfes.org, Child-Safe International <childsafe@avonandsomerset.police.uk>, erik.duncan@siu.no, postmottak@kd.dep.no, nigel.fulton@education.gsi.gov.uk, Freda.briggs@unisa.edu.au, english@moe.edu.cn, information@bmbf.bund.de

Office of Inspector General:

Hotline

YFU-USA, Inc. (previously YFU, Inc.)
Bankruptcy YFU 2002
YFU USA rises from the ashes 2002

Have YFU USA changed their stripes?

According to the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) own report number AUD/CG-02-12, December 2002 OIG’s Office of Audits conducted a review of nine grants awarded to Youth for Understanding, Inc. Due to the facts uncovered by OIG YFU filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on June 11, 2002 (shutting down operations on March 8, 2002).

On March 9, 2002 much of the same personnel (including Roberta Hopkins who helped set up the new company) working at the same offices begin a new firm called YFU-USA, Inc. They requested that the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) hand over all of the old grants to them so they might finish their responsibilities. At the same time YFU/YFU-USA ensures through their bankruptcy that they will not have to fulfill their financial obligations to ECA in spite of YFU owing to the US Govenment at the very least USD 315,793 (very likely more than USD 1,000,000). (Based on OIG’s report)

In addition, we see that YFU, Inc/YFU-USA, Inc. tried to get out of health insurance obligations through filing for their Chapter 11. (Risteen V. Youth For Understanding) The Court concluded that YFU USA was ”under the IRS COBRA regulations” a successor employer to YFU. The Court also issued a preliminary injunction ordering YFU-USA, Inc. to provide COBRA coverage to the employee.

According to Kal Goren’s presentation to the OCBA Employee Benefits Committee, YFU, Inc./YFU-USA’s is considered a fraudulent transfer case. They claim this is due to the so-called “buyer” taking over the seller’s assets except their real-estate. In addition the new entity refused to provide the terminated former “number two-position” officer with his remaining 16 months of COBRA health insurance coverage. (Successor Liability For Benefits in Assets Purchases, 2011).

Before the time of the bankruptcy of YFU, Inc., YFU had been the primary administrative organization for the Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) for CBYX’s first decade and a half. YFU-USA had hoped it would be able to get back in the game once they had once more become eligible. (K12 Academics) In spite of YFU’s previous serious monetary transgressions, CBYX seems to have chosen to continue their work with this “well-renowned” corporation. (CBYX’s website)

Recently there was an Article in Journal-Standard dated Jun. 12, 2014 about young Madeleine Sutton who is travelling via a CBYX stipend to Germany. Please verify that she is indeed travelling with YFU/YFU-USA. Her father’s contact information is: xxxxxxxxx

I hope that the Office of Inspector General continue to keep an eye on YFU-USA, Inc. so the students and their parents can feel safe in their attempt to build a positive relationship between Germany and the US.

Sincerely
Lise Lotte M Almenningen
CSFES Norway

Cc: Child-Safe, UK

SIU, Norway: Eric Duncan

Department for Education, China
Department for Education, UK
Department for Education, Germany
Department for Education, Australia
Department for Education, Norway

CSFES, Danielle Grijalva
Dr. Freda Briggs

-- 
CSFES Norway
http://trygghetforutvekslingseleven.wordpress.com/

 

Kevin Garfield Ricks: Case progression: Sentenced to 20 + 25 years

1978: First known abuse case

2004: First time Kevin Garfield Ricks was charged

2010 Jul 25: Kevin Ricks’ career as teacher, tutor shows pattern of abuse that goes back decades

2010 July 28: Complaint filed: Case no 1:10 MJ-515

2010 Jul 28: Official press release: Manassas Teacher Charged with Child Pornography Offenses

2010 Jul 30: Kevin Garfield Ricks pleads guilty

2010 Nov 10: KGR charged with additional sex charges (German exchange student)

2010 December: Teacher’s license revoked by North Carolina State Board of Education

2011 Mar 03: Official press release: Former Manassas School Teacher Pleads Guilty to Producing Child Pornography Over 17 Years

2011 Mar 08: Notice of sentencing sent to victim

2011 May 26: Official press release: Former Manassas School Teacher Sentenced to 25 Years for Producing Child Pornography

2012 May 08: Kevin Ricks faces charges in Caroline County

2012 Jul 25: Pleads guilty to additional charges

2013 Jan 23: Ricks sentenced to 20 additional years

2013 Apr 25: U.S. v Ricks: Appeal denied

2013 Oct 13: US v Kevin Ricks: Appeal denied

————————————————————————

Kevin Garfield Ricks: Work history of a sexual predator

Kevin Garfield Ricks – Work history of a sexual predator

List has been copied from PilotOnline.com

Kevin Garfield Ricks 2010
Kevin Garfield Ricks; Molester of high school/exchange students in various states. See list over places of employment.

Camp Holiday Trails in Charlottesville

Hampton Roads Academy, Newport News, a private school, 1982-83

Northeast Academy, Lasker, N.C., private school, 1984-85

Brandon Hall School, Dunwoody, Ga., a private boarding school, 1985-86

The Cottage School, Roswell, Ga., a private school, 1986-87

Worked at schools in Japan, 1988-95

Danville Public Schools, substitute teacher, 1995-97

Alamance-Burlington Public Schools, Burlington, N.C., full-time teacher, 1996-97

Danville Public Schools, full-time teacher, 1997-98

Danville Public Schools, substitute teacher, 1998-2000

Education First Foundation for Education, host and local coordinator:

“Ricks entered into a foreign exchange program, Education First, and hosted young students from all over the world in his home. A Danish student who was hosted by Ricks, Uffe Emborg, says that after drinking with Ricks one night, he discovered nude photographs of himself by Ricks’s bedside table. Out of fear, Emborg did not report this to the police, and instead burned the photographs with Ricks in the backyard. Ricks and his wife left Danville after Ricks was fired from Education First after being accused of stealing $2,000 from a student’s bank account.” (Wikipedia)

Col. Richardson High School, Caroline County, 2000-03

Wye River Upper School, Wye River, Md., a private school, 2003-04

Walbrook High School, Baltimore Public Schools, 2004-07

American Scandinavian Student Exchange (ASSE), host and local coordinator:

“Even after he stopped teaching in Caroline County, Ricks continued to host foreign exchange students, this time with American Scandinavian Student Exchange. After a German exchange student was removed from Ricks’s home during the 2003-04 school year, a restraining order was filed against Ricks by the student, who alleged that Ricks frequently called and offered gifts. Although the restraining order was not granted, ASSE fired Ricks.” (Wikipedia)

Osbourn High School, Manassas City, 2007-2010

Huntington Learning Center, tutoring, 2007-08

Tim and Tina Sweet sentenced for fraud

Lehigh County Judge J. Brian Johnson ruled against Timothy H. Sweet and Tina Sweet in the lawsuit brought against them in 2008 by Attorney General Tom Corbett.

The couple is permanently barred from working with international students and must pay more than $178,000 in restitution to various victims, including numerous host families and schools throughout the Lehigh Valley and Central Pennsylvania and civil penalties. To make sure funds might be available at such time as judgement was made, Judge Johnson froze USE’s funds after the lawsuit was brought against the Sweet’s.

Tim and Tina Sweet, of 1746 Roth Avenue, South Whitehall Township in Pennsylvania, ran the foreign student exchange organization United Student Exchange. They were sued for illegally diverting funds intended to pay for school tuitions and support for the students. Indeed, Attorney General Corbett claimed that

“The Sweets and their business – United Student Exchange – took advantage of families hoping to send their children to America to enjoy once-in-a-lifetime educational experiences,” Corbett said. “Instead, visiting students and their U.S. host families were met with empty promises and disappointment – left to fend for themselves by a business that claimed to be ‘uniting the world with Christ, one student at a time’.”

South-Korea

Most of the exchange students the Sweet’s scammed were from South-Korea. Upon arrival none of the Christian families promised were available and the exchange students were crammed together in so-called temporary homes. Background checks were not performed nor did host-families recruited after the students arrived complete application forms. In fact, the Sweet’s deceived new host-families into taking in exchange students.

If complaints were made about housing conditions, the host-families or lack of supervision, USE threatened to return the exchange students to their home countries.

United Student Exchange was not registered with either the Pennsylvania Department of State nor the federal J-1 Exchange Visitor Visa program, supervised by the U.S. State Department and the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

Judge Johnson concluded that the Sweets broke the law by using deceptive advertising. The couple has three months to pay the restitution and fines.

Attorney General Corbett said that violations include:

  • Failure to pay host families, as promised.
  • Failure to pay school tuition, as promised.
  • Misrepresentation of support to students and host families.
  • Contract terms in violation of Consumer Protection Law.

USA: Religious fervor among exchange organization representatives and host-families

Following are links to stories relating to the apparent religious fervor of host-families and exchange organization representatives in the USA. Please note that I have not listed these in any particular order with regard to alphabet or year. I believe the earliest story is from 2004 and the newest from July of 2014.

“Would you be willing voluntarily to inform the exchange visitor
in advance of any religious affiliations of household members? (Y/N)
Would any member of the household have difficulty hosting a
student whose religious beliefs were different from their own? (Y/N)
Note: A host family may want the exchange visitor to attend one or more religious services or programs with the family. The exchange visitor cannot be required to do so, but may decide to experience this facet of U.S. culture at his or her discretion.” (75 FR 65975)
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Link to stories about host-families who thought it OK to do missionary work

Girl converting to Mormonism while exchange student

Spreading Christianity on the Sly: Chinese Students in U.S. Get Unexpected ‘Bonus’ of Church Teachings

Chinese Atheists Lured to Find Jesus at U.S. Christian Schools

Polish Exchange Student in US: My Half-Year of Hell With Christian Fundamentalists

Theres an atheist exchange student from North Korea in my class how can i convert her to god?

Exposing the Blind Side: A Reverted Catholic Looks Back

Does anyone have an opinion/scripture about taking in Foreign exchange students of a different faith?

Exchange student accepts Christ, disowned by family

Become a foreign missionary in your own home

Become a foreign missionary in your own home

Exchange student from Finland converted to Mormonism

Exchange student brought to Christ

Baptist families view exchange student hosting as ministry

Should I intervene with missionary efforts

Three exchange students baptized

Wayne Chen: Foreign Exchange Student baptism

German exchange student baptized before return

I baptized an exchange student from another country

by God’s grace I ended up living in Greenville

Chinese girl will be baptized in June

Exchange student from Monique baptized

Missionary lessons to German exchange student

Russian student baptized

Korean exchange student commits to Christ

Regional Manager LaJuan Dixon (ISE) wishes to bring students to Jesus

Representative Sherry Drummond (CASE) recommends hosting as missionary effort

Representative Lucy Urban with (ICES) recommends hosting as missionary effort

2009: Klug convicted of foreign student fraud

Fayette Klug was sentenced on charges of theft by deception and unauthorized use of a financial transaction device. The victims were a Chinese exchange student and a Norwegian exchange student. She was both host-mother and sponsor-representative. Following is an extract from an article by Trisha Schulz at

The Norfolk Daily News

Posted: Friday, July 24, 2009 12:00 am

Judge Robert Ensz sentenced 35-year-old Fayette Klug to one to three years in prison on charges of theft by deception and unauthorized use of a financial transaction device. …

Ensz said a greater sentence would’ve been justified in the case, but he went along with a recommendation by the Madison County attorney’s office.

The two foreign exchange students – one from Norway and one from China – were placed in Klug’s home about a year ago and attended Battle Creek High School.

Klug asked the two girls for money to cover expenses while they were in the U.S. and used their prepaid credit cards to make unauthorized charges.

The two students didn’t understand that Klug was actually being reimbursed by the foreign exchange student placement company and didn’t need to pay her themselves.

The foreign exchange placement company, STS Foundation, repaid the girls in full. The total amount taken was more than $10,000, …

Ensz … particularly pointed out Klug’s past criminal history, which included a previous theft by deception and issuing bad checks.

He then sentenced her to prison and ordered her to pay the costs of prosecution.

STS Foundation sought restitution from Klug …

The entire article may be read at The Norfolk Daily News


Case progression:

  • 2008 Oct 11: Woman allegedly steals $10,000-plus from live-in foreign exchange students
    • The girls also told Bowersox that they were locked in the basement apartment area that they shared. At the time, Klug told them it was an accident – that the door was broken. …. Both students were removed from the Klug residence earlier this week. …. Why Klug was even hosting foreign exchange students has become a point of investigation because she is a convicted felon.

  •  

    2008 Nov 04: Foreign exchange student incident under review by federal department

  • 2008 Nov 18: Bank records obtained
  • 2008 Dec 19: Woman accused of stealing enters plea
    • Klug was arrested Oct. 10. She appeared Thursday in court in jail clothing and was represented by the Madison County Public Defender’s office.

  • 2009 Jun 09: Plea agreement offered in fraud of foreign exchange students
    • Thirty-five-year-old Fayette Klug pleaded no contest to theft by deception (over $1,500), a Class II felony, and unauthorized use of a financial transaction device, a Class I misdemeanor, … The foreign exchange placement company in which Klug worked for – STS Foundation – has been scrutinized for allowing Klug to host foreign exchange students in the first place because of her being a prior convicted felon. She was sentenced in 2006 for a theft by deception charge to 264 days in jail.

2008 Nov 04: Foreign exchange student incident under review by federal department

Posted: Tuesday, November 4, 2008 12:00 am
Special to the Daily News

There have been no sanctions against an Arizona foreign exchange student placement company, but three incidents currently are under review, including one involving students placed in the care of a convicted Norfolk felon.

Darlene Kirk of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State said STS Foundation reported two of those situations themselves. Both of those incidents involved host fathers.

The third situation came under review after a Daily News article was published regarding the arrest of Fayette Klug of Norfolk.

Klug is accused of stealing more than $10,000 from two foreign exchange students in her care. Klug was a representative of STS Foundation even though she is a convicted felon.

“When we receive word of an incident involving the health, safety or welfare of a student, we contact the sponsor to ask for a report on the situation,” Kirk said. “This includes incidents or allegations of actual or alleged sexual exploitation or abuse, and serious problems or controversies which could bring notoriety or disrepute to the Department of State.”

Since the three incidents are under review, Kirk declined further comment.

When an incident comes to the attention of the department, standard operating procedure dictates that the sponsor, such as STS, send in a full report including copies of host family applications, proof of criminal background checks and personal references, a detailed profile of the school, family and community in which the student was placed, among other information.

STS told Mike Bowersox of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office that it ran a standard criminal history check and the database turned up no convictions on Klug.

STS became a program sponsor in 1986 and currently has 393 active high school student participants.

STS has paid back some of the money that was stolen from the two students.

© 2014 The Norfolk Daily News

2011: Ely guilty of embezzlement and welfare fraud

This is the third and final article I could find in this series about the embezzlement of money from Donnapha Kuppatikasem. It was supposed to have been on Three Rivers Commercial-News, but can no longer be found there. This link was discovered on mlive.com.
———————————————–
The previous two articles in this series were:
  1. Former host mother accused of welfare fraud
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By Paula M. Davis | Kalamazoo Gazette
on September 02, 2011 at 3:16 PM, updated September 02, 2011 at 3:18 PM

• A Sturgis woman, originally charged with embezzling more than $20,000 from a Thai exchange student living with her, entered a no contest plea to embezzlement and guilty plea to welfare fraud. Laura Ann Ely, 27, entered the pleas Wednesday before St. Joseph County Circuit Court Judge Paul Stutesman.  [Three Rivers Commercial-News]
 

2010 Aug 10: Former host mother accused of welfare fraud

This article is number two in the series about Donnapha Kuppatikasem and her host mother Laura Ely. As with the previous article, this one was originally aired on WWMT.com (Newschannel 3) but can no longer be found on their site. This, too, was found on dreamindemon.com and has been copied to this blog.

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WESTMICHIGAN (NEWSCHANNEL 3)
DonnaphaKuppatikasem, nick-named Tak,is determined to become a doctor, but now she’s in a fight to stay in the U.S. until she can finish her medical degree.Sadly,thatdreammay be crushed. Tak’s former host mother, Laura Ely,is accused of draining Tak’s savings account.Thataccountwassupposedto be used to pay for tuition.Without the money, and without being in school, Tak could be deported.On TuesdayNewschannel 3 sat down to speak with Tak about her struggle to stay in the U.S.”At first I didn’t believe that she did it,” said Tak.Tak says she couldn’t believe that her host mother would steal from her.

“I lived with her for three and a half years and I trust her,” said Tak, “so she pretty much like a second mom to me.”

The Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students says that Tak’s case is not one of a kind.

“Exchange students are commonly extorted monies more than we know,” said Danielle Grijalva, Director of CSFES.

Tak says bank records show that Ely took at least $57,000 from her and her family.

“As of right now, everything we had, it’s gone,” said Tak.

Now staying with long-time friends, Tak is trying to figure out what to do next. She’s already earned more than 60 college credit hours, but now tuition that should have been paid for is past due and WMU says if she doesn’t start making payments by September 7th she could be deported.

Despite her setbacks, Tak says she’s trying not to be angry.

“If she, as an alleged victim of extortion, and if she is forced to be repatriated back to her home country through no fault of her own, that’s a huge injustice in and of itself,” said Grijalva.

WMU says they’ve already eliminated $1,100 in late fees and credited Tak with $6,200 more for tuition from her spring semester, but she still owes more than $11,000 that she doesn’t have because it was stolen from her.

“It’s going to be the end of my dream, I cannot do that without this money,” said Tak.

If Tak doesn’t pay $2,800 by September 7th her student visa will expire and she will be deported. She will also lose all her college credits and will not be eligible for another visa for ten years.

After five years in the U.S. she’ll have to go back to Thailand and start saving money all over again.

A fund has been set up to help Tak pay for tuition, you can donate at the Citizen’s Bank in Colon. The account is under Tak’s full name, Donnapha Kuppatikasem.

The Citizen’s Bank in Colon is at 121 E. State Street, Colon, MI. The phone number there is 269-432-3125.

USA: Are People to People really part of President Eisenhower’s effort?

NO!!!!! They are not!!!!!

People to People on the I-net

Projects inspired by the ended People to People program

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In 1960 Mr. Samuel Montague informs the president that he (Mr. Montague) is organizing a Greater Kansas City People to People Council with financial backing from Mr. Joyce C. Hall.

1961: Greater Kansas City People to People Council, Incorporated Missouri, co.no: N00002979, active (non-profit)

In 1961 Joyce Hall establishes People to People International (charter no: N00003473). She had previously founded Hallmark Cards Inc. The head office for People to People International was placed in Kansas City, Missouri. Joyce Hall had been one of the people at the conference held by Eisenhower in 1956. His responsibility was to organize a committee of one hundred or more American leaders who would be the governing group of the People to People Council. Mr. Hall also provides the seed money for the Council and ends up being its CEO.

  •  1961: People-to-People, Incorporated Missouri, charter no: N00003473, active, (non-profit). These are GKC People to People.
  • 1961: People to People International, Incorporated Missouri, co.no: N00003473 – (non-profit)
  • 1969: People to People Foundation, Incorporated California, co.no: C0568797, suspended
  • We then have a lot of People to People companies that are registered and suspended in Missouri.
  • 1996: People to People International, Incorporated New York, co.no: 2093070, (non-profit)
  • –   There are several People to People non-profits that were started in the late 1960’s. The 1996 New York company is the only non-profit I find that is still active. It cites its head-office as being in Missouri. I think they are referring to the 1961 company.

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  • 1964: Ambassadors International, Incorporated Florida, co.no: 707911, Inactive (non-profit). As you see they start off as a non-profit. Then the name is claimed in 1995.

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Legal cases

2010: KS et al v. Ambassador Progams Inc et al

2008: Gutierrez v. People to People International et al

2007: Wellner et al v. People to People International

 

2010 May 12: Office of Investigations: Scranton, Pennsylvania

OIG conducted an investigation of a subcontractor to a Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs grantee that received $835,670 to conduct a project entitled “Youth Exchange and Study Program” (YES) for the 2008-2009 academic school year. An employee of the subcontractor was assigned to serve as the local coordinator for the students enrolled in the program and was responsible for finding host homes for the students in Scranton, PA. The employee accepted money from the grant and failed to provide the students with basic provisions as outlined in the grant. On February 12, 2010, the subcontractor employee pleaded guilty to one felony count of Mail Fraud and is scheduled to be sentenced on May 12, 2010. Possible civil action against the subcontract company for knowing violating the terms of the grant is currently pending. (09-107)

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OIG conducted an investigation of a subcontractor to a Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs grantee that received $835,670 to conduct a project entitled “Youth Exchange and Study Program” for the 2008-2009 academic school year. An employee of the subcontractor was assigned to serve as the local coordinator for the students enrolled in the program and was responsible for finding host homes for the students in Scranton, PA. The employee accepted money from the grant and failed to provide the students with basic provisions as outlined in the grant. On February 12, 2010, the subcontractor employee pleaded guilty to one felony count of Mail Fraud and on May 27, 2010, she was sentenced in the U.S. District Court, Middle District of Pennsylvania, to 3 years supervised probation and 100 hours of community service, and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,900. (See OIG Semiannual Report to the Congress, October 1, 2009 to March 31, 2010, pp 68) (09-107)

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House Report 111-187 – STATE, FOREIGN OPERATIONS, AND RELATED PROGRAMS APPROPRIATIONS BILL, 2010

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Warrant of arrest of Edna Mary Burgette

2009 Jul 21: Warrant of Arrest for Edna Mary Burgette

Edna Mary Burgette was convicted in this matter and had to serve time. She had been responsible for placing exchange students for Aspect Foundation at least 10 years before the authorities got involved. During this time Aspect Foundation had received complaints regarding Ms. Burgette’s placements and her behavior toward the exchange students but to no avail. How many students were affected by Ms. Burgette’s criminal behavior during her time as an International Exchange Coordinator is difficult to know. The only ones with an answer are Ms. Burgette, Aspect Foundation and the students themselves.


EF Foundation for Foreign Study: “Agreement”

This is an example of the type of Behavioral Agreement EF Education First / EF High School Year / EF Foundation for Foreign Study operate with. As a rule, we ask that students and parents avoid signing anything once the initial contract has been signed. These types of documents are part of “power games” some representatives like to play.

If you are interested in the background of this Agreement, please feel free to contact Danielle Grijalva at CSFES.org.

EF Foundation for Foreign Study behavioral agreement

2010 Sep 01: PIE (France)/ASSE/World Heritage v Beddick/Grijalva: 07 CVD 6565 (Forsyth)

In the case of PIE (France)/ASSE/World Heritage v Veronika Beddick and Danielle Grijalva it turns out that the plaintiffs did not have much of a case and had chosen to wait it out rather than take Ms. Grijalva to court. Ms. Grijalva’s and Ms. Beddick’s attorney sent this Letter of Voluntary Dismissal Without Prejudice to the plaintiffs in order to close the case properly.

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2007 Sep 09: Affadavit of Bachelot

P.I.E. claims ASSE fired Beddick with just cause. Supposedly filled with a need for revenge, Beddick contacted CSFES. Together, Beddick and CSFES supposedly disseminated falsehoods to French students, their natural parents and French diplomacy. P.I.E. call the Defendants’ actions a campaign of falsehood and disparagement.

2007 Sep 21: Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges v Grijalva

  • Defamation, civil conspiracy, interference with business relations and interference with contract. (Appellants’ Appendix (“AA”) 38-49.)
  • PIE’s complaint alleged that Grijalva and CSFES made false or misleading statements about PIE, its students and affiliates in the U.S., including ASSE and World Heritage. (AA 40-49.)
  • The complaint specifically alleged that Grijalva contacted the parents of a PIE student by email and falsely claimed that “all too often students are placed [by PIE and its affiliates] in the homes of convicted felons and registered sex offenders.” (AA 41.)
  • The complaint further alleged that Grijalva contacted the French Consulate regarding the enrollment of a French PIE student into a North Carolina high school, and that
  • Grijalva contacted a French PIE student in Missouri by email and said “PIE France is not interested in the safety and welfare of its students.'”(AA 42.)

2007 Sep 21: P.I.E. files Complaint and Motions for Temporary Restraining Order and Preliminary Injunction against Grijalva and Beddick

2007 Sep 21: Court issues Temporary Restraining Order Against Grijalva and Beddick

2007 Dec 20: Preliminary injunction barring Grijalva from contacting PIE’S students, their natural families and host families. (AA 51-54.)

2008 Feb 8: ASSE and World Heritage v Grijalva

  • Alleged that Grijalva defamed ASSE, interfered with ASSE’s business relationships and contracts, and disseminated knowingly false, malicious and misleading information to students in the ASSE program. (AA 56-59.)

2008 Mar 11: Notice of Related Case Filed By Danielle Grijalva; CSFES

2008 Mar 11: Grijalva v Brandt (this case)

A complaint filed with a retaliatory motive was not barred by the anti-SLAPP statute, so long as the claims in the complaint arose from statements or conduct independent of ASSE’s participation in the North Carolina litigation.

2008 Mar 24: First Amended Complaint Filed By Danielle Grijalva; CSFES.
2008 Apr 24: Demurrer Filed By ASSE International, Inc.; Helga Brandt.
2008 Apr 24: Motion To Strike Filed By ASSE International, Inc.; Helga Brandt.

2008 May 30: Preliminary Injunction Against Grijalva

2008 Jul 16: Notice of Non-Receipt of Opposition
2008 Jul 21: Ex Parte Application for Late Opposition filed by Danielle Grijalva
2008 Jul 21: Opposition to Motion to Strike filed by Danielle Grijalva
2008 Jul 21: Declaration of Danielle Grijalva
2008 Jul 21: Second Amended Complaint by Danielle Grijalva; CSFES
2008 Jul 22: Declaration of David Allen
2008 Jul 22: Opposition to Ex Parte Filed By ASSE International, Inc.
2008 Jul 24: Ex Parte Denied.
2008 Jul 25: Motion to Strike Granted. Attorney fees denied.
2008 Jul 25: Demurrer off calendar as Moot
2008 Aug 04: Motion for Attorney Fees by Defendants
2008 Oct 17: Opposition by Plaintiff
2008 Oct 31: Attorneys Fees Granted

2009 Mar 08: Appeal Brief

2009 May 01: Reply Brief

Electing to work on one client’s matters at the expense of another client does not constitute excusable neglect …. The trial court properly exercised its discretion to deny consideration of Appellants’ late-filed opposition.

2009 Jul 20: Grijalva-Appeal Decision

ASSE and Brandt did not demonstrate that the defamatory statements alleged in plaintiffs’ amended complaint were made in a judicial proceeding or in connection with an issue under consideration or review by a judicial body.

Accordingly, the trial court erred in concluding that ASSE and Brandt carried their burden of demonstrating that plaintiffs’ action arose from petitioning activity that is protected by the anti-SLAPP statute.

2010 Sep 01: PIE (France)/ASSE/World Heritage v Beddick/Grijalva: 07 CVD 6565 (Forsyth)

Voluntary dismissal without prejudice

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Related Links:

2008 Jun 26: The Oklahoman: Advocate for City Exchange Students Says Order Defies Free Speech
North Country Gazette: Agencies Seek to Silence Student Protection Group

2006 Sep 05: Exchange Students from Middle East Arrive in America Without Homes, an alert for student community

Tuesday, September, 05 2006 – 10:57

OCEANSIDE(USA): Danielle Grijalva, Director Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students, Oceanside, California has issued an alert for students coming to USA from various countries.

“Twenty-five teenagers from Lebanon, Ganza, Ukraine, Jordan, Algeria, Yemen, Kuwait, Muldova and Ukraine are without homes.

The students are here through the YES/FLEX program, wherein the student exchange agency Pacific Intercultural Exchange (PIE) was awarded millions of tax payer grants to invite these teenagers to the United States.  PIE failed to secure host families and schools and have left these children stranded and confused. ……..

2006 Mar 08: Collier man acquitted of child porn charges

By AISLING SWIFT

Wednesday, March 8, 2006

A Collier County man was acquitted Tuesday of charges that he possessed obscene photos of young boys after jurors heard testimony that other employees had access to his office computer and that three images were downloaded at times he didn’t work there.

The six-person jury deliberated about one hour before finding Shernon N. James, 23, of 4174 Green Blvd., No. 4, Golden Gate, not guilty of 10 counts of possessing obscene photos of sex acts performed by a child. As the clerk read the verdict, James clasped his hands, looked up and began wiping away tears.

“Rob did a very good trial and I think the evidence spoke for itself,” defense attorney James Moon said of Assistant State Attorney Robert Crown. He declined further comment and said James had no comment.

Crown praised the Collier County Sheriff’s Office for its investigation and noted that two witnesses — Sgt. Dan McDonald and Investigator Sotiere Nicholson — both testified that James admitted downloading the images onto the office computer.

“Because that admission wasn’t tape-recorded, the jurors didn’t believe the officers,” Crown said. “I respect their decision, but I don’t agree with it.”

James was arrested on March 25, 2005, 20 days after he was fired from his job at Florida Talent Consultants at because the owner, Kevin Smith, learned he and another employee planned to start their own talent agency; James had worked there about two years. Smith told deputies he had asked another man to examine the computer James had been using to make sure nothing was missing, when the photos were found.

During the two-day trial before Collier County Circuit Judge Lawrence D. Martin, jurors heard from six prosecution witnesses and two defense witnesses, including James.

On Tuesday, jurors heard a tape of an interview between McDonald and James, who denied downloading any images of child porn or seeing them before. On the tape, James also told McDonald that the five computers at the office didn’t require passwords and that the four or five other employees could access them.

During questioning by Crown, McDonald testified he went to the home James shared with another woman and found porn on a computer James and the woman used, but not on a computer belonging to the woman’s children. McDonald testified he examined a computer James used at a friend’s home and found nothing.

McDonald said when he interviewed James again, he admitted downloading the images at the office, but not at his home. McDonald testified he didn’t tape that interview because he only intended to ask James one or two questions. “I didn’t believe he would deviate from his original statement,” McDonald testified.

During cross-examination, Moon elicited testimony from McDonald showing that the porn at James’ home involved adults, not children. Moon also showed that McDonald never asked whether others had keys to the talent agency, and showed that two photos were dated before James worked at the talent agency and one was dated a day after he was fired, and all had time stamps after 5 p.m., a time when James and the other employees had left for the day.

Other testimony showed:

James didn’t have a key to the office, except during a six-week period that didn’t coincide with dates on the photos. The computer James used originally came from Smith’s office.

James, who operated a computer consulting business and built Web sites, had extensive computer knowledge. However, the pornographic images were never deleted, hidden or encrypted, but were in the computer’s recycling bin. And Smith and James e-mailed each other repeatedly, threatening what they’d do to each other’s businesses.

2007 Sep 21: Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges v. Grijalva: Conspiracy; Defamation; Tortious Interference

From DMLP

Location of Filing/Threat: North Carolina
Source of Law: North Carolina

Court Name: North Carolina District Court, Forsyth County
Court Type: State

Case Number: 2007-CVD-656

Threat Type: Lawsuit
Date:  09/21/2007
Status: Pending
Location:  North Carolina
Disposition: Injunction Issued
Verdict/Settlement Amount: n/a
Legal Claims: Conspiracy; Defamation; Tortious Interference

PARTIES

Party Issuing Legal Threat: Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges; ASSE International, Inc.; World Heritage, Inc.

Type of Party: Organization
Location of Party: California; New York; France
Legal Counsel: Robert M. Elliot; Richard D. Menaker (Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges)

Party Receiving Legal Threat: Danielle Joyce Grijalva; Veronica Beddick

Type of Party: Individual
Location of Party: California; North Carolina
Legal Counsel: Jennifer Arno (Grijalva)

DESCRIPTION

Programmes Internationaux D’Echanges (P.I.E.), a French nonprofit that organizes student exchange programs, filed suit against Danielle Grijalva, director of the Committee for Safety of Foreign Exchange Students (CSFES), over emails and postings on CSFES’s website that criticized the organization’s handling of students. P.I.E.’s complaint asserted claims of defamation, civil conspiracy, interference with contract, and interference with business relationships. The suit also named as a defendant Veronica Beddick, a former employee of ASSE International, a nonprofit that assisted in student placements, alleging that she provided confidential information to Grijalva and assisted in the disputed acts.

In emails and postings to the CSFES website, Grijalva allegedly accused the plaintiff organizations of numerous wrondoings related to their treatment of foreign exchange students.

According to the complaint and other court filings, the accusations included that the organizations failed to place students in schools, failed to place students in permanent homes, placed students in homes with felons, and otherwise violated laws that regulate foreign exchange programs.

According to press reports, Grijalva has said that she sent an email to the father of a foreign exchange student at the student’s request but that she has not engaged in any “mass effort” to contact students, their families, or host families.

P.I.E.’s complaint included a request for a temporary restraining order against Grijalva and Beddick. On September 21, 2007, the court granted the request, ordering the defendants to cease communicating with P.I.E. students as well as the students’ familes, host familes, and educational institutions. The temporary restraining order, by its terms, expired after 10 days unless the court renewed it.

On Dec. 12, 2007, the court granted a preliminary injunction against Grijalva that reiterated the prohibition on direct communication with students and others involved with the plaintiffs and further ordered her to refrain from disseminating false or misleading information about the plaintiff organizations via email or her website.

On May 30, 2008, the court granted a near-identical preliminary injunction against Grijalva brought by P.I.E. associates (and plaintiff-intervenors) ASSE and World Heritage, Inc.

2008 Jun 17: Lawmakers question foreign exchange procedures, legislation in the works

Posted on 17 June 2008

LITTLE ROCK – An attorney for a Cambridge, Mass.-based company that places foreign students in Arkansas high schools told lawmakers Tuesday he had no problem with the state having some oversight of firms like his, including a registration program.

At the request of Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, legislative committees met to consider whether the state should oversee placement of foreign exchange students after Madison fielded complaints last year that some of the students were being placed with families ill-equipped to take care of them.

“I have no problem with a registering,” said Jeffrey Allen, attorney and board member of Education First Foundation of Foreign Study, told a joint meeting of the Senate Children and Youth Committee and the House Committee on Aging, Children and Youth, Legislative and Military Affairs.

Companies that place foreign exchange students with U.S. families are regulated by the U.S. State Department. California requires all companies active there to register with the California attorney general’s office, while Minnesota and Washington require the companies to register, but with some other state agency. Arkansas has no registration requirement.

When the Legislative Council approved Madison’s study proposal in December, the State Department was investigating complaints about placement of foreign students in Arkansas by Allen’s firm.

Earlier this month, after repeated problems with Education First, Fayetteville High School decided to no longer accept students provided by the company. The following day, the company fired the Fayetteville family hired to host the students during the school year.

The federal investigation into Education First and its Fayetteville coordinators centered on allegations that exchange students stayed at the homes of their coordinators, which is prohibited by federal regulations.

Allen acknowledged Tuedsay that four of the 87 foreign students his company brought to Arkansas last year were placed in difficult host family environments.

“We bring 2,700 kids, teenagers, into the United States every year, there are going to be issues,” Allen said. “Our job is to minimize them and to respond to them when they occur and to respond to them appropriately.”

Rep. Tracy Pennartz, D-Fort Smith, who suggested the screening process the company used to hire regional coordinators was flawed, said the state would be watching.

“So if you all have made errors or mistakes, what we’re interested in is that you revise your procedures and processes so that those same errors don’t occur again,” she said.

After the meeting, Madison said she plans to develop legislation for the 2009 regular session that would give the state some oversight of the placement companies, including a registration requirement.

During the two-hour meeting, Leigh Hudson, a counselor at Fayetteville High School, told lawmakers she got to know each of the four troubled foreign students last school year and each was upset and emotional over the problems they faced with their host families.

In one case, a student, who was Lutheran, was forced to go to the host family’s non-denominational church and was told she would lose her cell phone and computer privileges if she did not, Hudson said. Another student was upset because her host family’s home smelled of sewage because of plumbing problems, she said.

Also, several students lived with Gerald and Sherry Drummond, regional coordinators for Education First, against federal regulations. The company fired the Drummonds this month after Fayetteville High quit accepting foreign students through the company.

Matt Smith, Education First’s director of operations, told lawmakers Tuesday that after the problems with the four students the remaining 83 in the state were questioned and were determined to be happy and comfortable with their host families.

Smith estimated as many as 20 percent of foreign exchange students have to be moved to another host family during a school year because they are incompatible.

The Drummonds were invited to testify at Tuesday’s meeting but did not attend.

 

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2007 Dec 9: Exchange group gets probe after teens complain

2008: Agency dumps coordinators of foreign teens

2007/2008: Highly religious exchange family

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2014: Gerald and Sherry Drummond currently work for (CASE) Culture Academic Student Exchange South Central Region

Investigation of EF Education programme in Arkansas

By Rob Moritz, Arkansas News Bureau,

Posted on 21 December 2007

LITTLE ROCK – The Legislative Council on Friday endorsed a proposal to study placement of foreign exchange students with host families in Arkansas.

Sen. Sue Madison, D-Fayetteville, said she proposed the study after receiving complaints that some foreign exchange students were being placed in homes with families ill-equipped to take care of them.

Madison also noted recent reports that the U.S. State Department was investigating complaints about where a Massachusetts company had placed some foreign exchange students arriving in Arkansas.

That investigation, involving the Education First Foundation for Foreign Study and its Fayetteville coordinators, involves allegations that exchange students stayed at the homes of the coordinators.

Federal regulations prohibit employees of a foreign exchange company from serving as both a host family and area supervisor for a student.

Madison’s proposal asks the Senate Interim Committee on Children and Youth to study the issue and report its findings to Legislative Council.

“Some parents came to me about problems they’ve seen in Northwest Arkansas,” Madison said Friday, also noting problems she heard of in Clarksville and Hot Springs.

In Clarksville, Madison said, a student from Korea was placed with a family living in low-income housing. The student would write home asking her parents for money to help feed her host family, she said.

“At that point, she asked to be moved to another family and representatives from the company set up a table outside a Wal-Mart to recruit her another family,” Madison said. “They found her another family and this time the male of the household was arrested on a drug charge.”

The State Department, which currently has oversight authority, does not have adequate staff to oversee the foreign exchange program, Madison said. California has enacted a law that gives its attorney general’s office some oversight authority, she said.

The California law requires any person or group that arranges the placement of foreign exchange students in California elementary, junior high or high schools to register with the attorney general’s office before making the placement.

Copyright © Arkansas News Bureau, 2003 – 2006


EF Education First Arkansas

2007 Dec 9: Exchange group gets probe after teens complain

2008 Jun 03: Agency dumps coordinators of foreign teens

2008 Jun 17: Lawmakers question foreign exchange procedures, legislation in the works

2011 Feb 24: Richard Mink faces trial on charge of taking nude photos of male exchange student

John S. Hausman | jhausman@mlive.comBy John S. Hausman | jhausman@mlive.com 
on February 24, 2011 at 6:57 PM

A 76-year-old Muskegon man who has hosted foreign exchange students for nearly 20 years has been bound over for trial on a charge of manufacturing child pornography.

Richard William Mink of 2520 Glenside on Thursday waived a preliminary hearing in Muskegon County 60th District Court on that 20-year felony. He is accused of taking nude photos of a 16-year-old German male exchange student in 2009.

“Mink was bound over on the top count, and a plea to that count is anticipated,” said Brett Gardner, Muskegon County’s chief assistant prosecutor.

A separate case of second-degree child abuse, involving a 15-year-old South Korean male exchange student in 2010, was dismissed Thursday because the alleged victim does not want to cooperate, Gardner said.

Mink had been accused of abusing the Korean boy in a variety of ways, including paddling the boy on his bare bottom, making him walk naked in front of Mink, and watching him shower and fondling his genitals. In a recent Chronicle interviewMink acknowledged some of those allegations but denied the fondling.

The allegations surfaced in December after the South Korean student, who had been attending a local high school in Muskegon County, told a school counselor that he had been abused, sometimes sexually, at the hands of Mink.

The Muskegon police investigation into the Korean boy’s case led authorities to search Mink’s home, where they discovered nude photos of the German male exchange student, allegedly taken by Mink.

E-mail: jhausman@muskegonchronicle.com

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2011 Feb 07: Richard Mink of Muskegon charged with two felonies for allegedly abusing two foreign exchange students he hosted at his home

2011 Feb 07: Muskegon’s Richard Mink admits to paddling, forcing exchange student to walk nude in front of him, denies fondling [UPDATE]

2011 Feb 07: Muskegon’s Richard Mink admits to paddling, forcing exchange student to walk nude in front of him, denies fondling [UPDATE]

Heather Lynn Peters | hpeters@mlive.comBy Heather Lynn Peters | hpeters@mlive.com 
on February 07, 2011 at 7:02 PM, updated February 08, 2011 at 9:12 AM

MUSKEGON — A Muskegon man admitted in a Muskegon Chronicle interview Monday that he paddled a 15-year-old foreign exchange student from South Korea on his bare bottom, made him walk naked in front of him and watched the boy shower — but says it was all for the boy’s own good.

“He was very shy and he expressed a concern about walking around the locker room nude at the gym,” said Richard William Mink, who hosted the boy at his home from August to December 2010. “I had him practice. I had him walk back and forth nude in the bedroom. I was in there, but it was very dimly lit and I couldn’t really see him.”

Mink, 75, of 2520 Glenside, who said he has hosted foreign exchange students for nearly 20 years, has been charged with two felonies for allegedly abusing two teen boys, one from Germany and the student from South Korea.

Mink has been arraigned in Muskegon County’s 60th District Court before Judge Andrew Wierengo III on one count of child abusive commercial activity — producing child pornography — and one count of second-degree child abuse in connection with two separate cases involving the two unrelated international students.

Mink is accused of taking nude photos of the German student some time in 2008 and abusing the other student in a variety of ways, including fondling the South Korean boy’s genitals, claiming it was a “medical examination,” police said.

Mink denied the fondling accusation, but admits to other claims made by the boy in December.

“I paddled him, yes. I paddled him for being mean to my animals, for one reason. I paddled him once for not turning in his assignments at school,” Mink said.

However, he claims he never fondled the student.

“I did not do that. I think he said that because I made him have his hair cut. I mean, how do you defend yourself about a boy who says things about you that aren’t true?” Mink said. “I won’t be able to show my face when this goes in the paper.”

Mink is free on two $20,000 signature bonds — one for each case —  issued by Wierengo. The judge set his preliminary examination for Thursday. Mink said he’s hired Muskegon attorney Ronald Pannucci.

Both exchange students were immediately removed from Mink’s home when the initial complaints were filed, said Muskegon Police Department Lt. Leah Fenwick.

The allegations surfaced in December after the South Korean student, who had been attending a local high school in Muskegon County, told a school counselor that he had been abused, sometimes sexually, at the hands of Mink.

A school official then reported the teen’s claims to authorities, Fenwick said.

“He said he was inappropriately touched,” Fenwick said.

The victim also said Mink forced him to sleep nude, shower with others staying at the house and “touched the teen on his genitals and claimed he was doing a medical examination,” Fenwick said.

Mink also allegedly struck the boy on his “bare bottom” and spanked him with a “flat stick,” Fenwick said.

Mink told The Chronicle that he had the boy shower with the shower curtain “partially open” while Mink was in the bathroom, but only so he could “show the boy” how to operate the shower.

The investigation into the recent claims led authorities to search Mink’s home, where they discovered nude photos of a 16-year-old Germany male exchange student, apparently taken by Mink, Fenwick said.

One photo showed the 16-year-old boy completely naked, during the day at a Muskegon-area beach, Fenwick said.

An investigation into whether any additional criminal activity occurred between Mink and other exchange students is ongoing, Fenwick said.

The South Korean student was connected with Mink through Ayusa Global Youth Exchange. The organization’s website indicates it is a nonprofit organization designated by the U.S. Department of State. It wasn’t clear how Mink came in contact with the German student.

Sherry Carpenter, executive director of Ayusa, a nationwide group with a field office in Ada, said the organization was devastated to hear of the alleged abuse.

“The moment Ayusa became aware of the unfortunate incident involving one of our foreign exchange students, we immediately removed the student from the host family. We then quickly followed all Ayusa and U.S. Department of State policies and procedures, including reporting and contacting the authorities,” Carpenter said in a statement to The Chronicle.

Carpenter said last year was the first time Mink ever hosted an exchange student with Ayusa.

E-mail: hpeters@muskegonchronicle.com


2011 Feb 07: Richard Mink of Muskegon charged with two felonies for allegedly abusing two foreign exchange students he hosted at his home

2011 Feb 07: Richard Mink of Muskegon charged with two felonies for allegedly abusing two foreign exchange students he hosted at his home

Heather Lynn Peters | hpeters@mlive.comBy Heather Lynn Peters | hpeters@mlive.com 
on February 07, 2011 at 9:58 AM, updated February 07, 2011 at 5:10 PM

MUSKEGON — A 75-year-old Muskegon man who has hosted foreign exchange students for more than a decade has been charged with two felonies for allegedly abusing two teen boys, one from Germany and the other from South Korea.

M0208EXCHANGE.jpgRichard William Mink

Richard William Mink, 2520 Glenside, was arraigned recently in Muskegon County 60th District Court before Judge Andrew Wierengo III on one count of child abusive commercial activity — producing child pornography — and one count of second-degree child abuse in connection with two separate cases involving two unrelated international students.

Mink is free on a $20,000 signature bond issued by Wierengo. The judge set his preliminary examination for Thursday.

Both males were immediately removed from Mink’s home when the initial complaints were filed, said Muskegon Police Department Lt. Leah Fenwick.

The most recent case involves a 15-year-old male from South Korea who began staying with Mink in August 2010, Fenwick said.

The teen, who had been attending a local high school in Muskegon County, reported to a school counselor that he had been abused, sometimes sexually, at the hands of Mink.

A school official then reported the teen’s claims to authorities, Fenwick said.

“He said he was inappropriately touched,” Fenwick said.

The victim also said Mink forced him to sleep nude, shower with others staying at the house and “touched the teen on his genitals and claimed he was doing a medical examination,” Fenwick said.

Mink also allegedly struck the boy on his “bare bottom” and spanked him with a “flat stick,” Fenwick said.

The investigation into the recent claims led authorities to search Mink’s home where they discovered nude photos of a 16-year-old Germany male exchange student, apparently taken by Mink, Fenwick said.

One photo showed the 16-year-old victim completely naked, during the day at a Muskegon-area beach, Fenwick said.

An investigation into whether any additional criminal activity occurred between Mink and other exchange students is ongoing, Fenwick said.

The South Korean student was connected with Mink through Ayusa Global Youth Exchange, which it’s website lists as a non-profit organization designated by the U.S. Department of State. It wasn’t clear how Mink came in contact with the German student.

Sherry Carpenter, Executive Director of Ayusa, said the organization was devastated to hear of the alleged abuse.

“The moment Ayusa became aware of the unfortunate incident involving one of our foreign exchange students we immediately removed the student from the host family. We then quickly followed all Ayusa and U.S. Department of State policies and procedures, including reporting and contacting the authorities,” Carpenter said in a statement to the Chronicle.

Carpenter said last year was the first time Mink ever hosted an exchange student with Ayusa.

E-mail:

hpeters@muskegonchronicle.com

2012 Jun 26: Child porn manufacture case against Muskegon exchange-student host dismissed

John S. Hausman | jhausman@mlive.com By John S. Hausman | jhausman@mlive.com / The Muskegon Chronicle on updated June 26, 2012 at  5:50 PM

Richard-Mink.jpgRichard Mink

MUSKEGON, MI – The case against Richard William Mink of Muskegon, a longtime foreign-exchange student host charged with manufacturing child pornography of a student, has been dismissed because the alleged victim refuses to return from Germany to testify.

The Muskegon County Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the case Tuesday morning “without prejudice,” meaning prosecutors could refile it later if the alleged victim becomes available.

The trial for Mink, 77, of Muskegon had been scheduled to begin Tuesday. He was charged with a 20-year felony.

Mink had been accused of taking nude photos of a 16-year-old German male exchange student in 2009. The case had been pending for some 18 months, but trial was repeatedly delayed when the victim declined to return to the United States.

An earlier case against Mink of second-degree child abuse, involving a 15-year-old South Korean male exchange student in 2010, was dismissed in February 2011 for the same reason.

Mink had been accused of abusing the Korean boy in a variety of ways, including paddling the boy on his bare bottom, making him walk naked in front of Mink, and watching him shower and fondling his genitals. In a Chronicle interview in February 2011 Mink acknowledged some of those allegations but denied the fondling.

Both allegations surfaced in December 2010 after the South Korean student, who had been attending a local high school in Muskegon County, told a school counselor that he had been abused, sometimes sexually, at the hands of Mink.

The Muskegon police investigation into the Korean boy’s case led authorities to search Mink’s home, where they discovered nude photos of the German male exchange student, allegedly taken by Mink.

2013 Oct 17: USA: Allentown Diocese priest didn’t report sex abuse disclosed during confession, lawsuit alleges

By Tom Shortell | The Express-Times
on October 17, 2013 at 6:28 PM

A South Korean student who was sexually abused at a Pen Argyl academy is suing Pius X High School and the Diocese of Allentown.
In a lawsuit filed today in Northampton County, the student said she alerted a priest at Pius X of the sexual abuse four times during confession. The priest never alerted authorities, according to the lawsuit.

Matt Kerr, a spokesman for the diocese, declined comment. The diocese does not publicly comment on ongoing litigation, he said.
The student was one of dozens who lived at Ace Academy USA in order to attend class at Pius X. Getting into a South Korean college or university is extremely competitive, so the students attended American schools to better their chances of getting into an American college, ACE Academy Director Richard Kim said in 2007.
Three years later, Kim began sexually assaulting the 14-year-old girl left in his care, according to police. The abuse lasted from November 2010 to February 2011 before police were notified, the lawsuit stated.

Kim was sentenced to five to 10 years in state prison. His parents, Min and Yong Kim, who were heavily involved in running ACE Academy, pleaded guilty this year to failing to report suspected child abuse. Min and Yong Kim were sentenced to one year of probation.
The academy is also named in the suit. There is no public phone listing for the Kims and they couldn’t be reached for comment.
In the lawsuit, the student’s attorneys say the diocese and high school officials either knew or should have known that Richard Kim posed a risk to the students at the school. ACE and the Kim family also failed to protect the students entrusted to their care.
“We feel they had a major responsibility to these kids. They traveled thousands of miles to attend that school. You can’t just disclaim any responsibility,” said Howard Myerowitz, an attorney representing the victim.

Myerowitz said the abuse came to light only when the victim told a friend also attending ACE Academy. The friend alerted her mother back in South Korea, who alerted the victim’s mother, who contacted authorities, he said.

That differs somewhat from information offered by Assistant District Attorney Patricia Broscius, who prosecuted Richard Kim. During the sentencing, she also credited a Pius X priest with stepping forward and alerting authorities, she said. She confirmed tonight that the priest was willing to testify about the victim’s confession at trial if needed.
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2011 Jul 07: Ace Academy director accused of sexually assaulting student at the Pen Argyl foreign school

2012 May 04: Former director at Ace Academy pleads guilty to sexual assaults on student

2012 May 04: Former director at Ace Academy pleads guilty to sexual assaults on student

By Tom Shortell | The Express-Times

on May 04, 2012 at 12:17 PM, updated May 04, 2012 at 5:23 PM

Express-Times File PhotoRichard Kim, left, walks into district court in Wind Gap with his attorney, Charles W. Gordon.

A director of a foreign exchange academy associated with Pius X High School pleaded guilty today to sexually molesting one of the teenage students under his supervision.

Richard Kim, 34, spoke only in whispers as he entered a guilty plea to Northampton County Judge Leonard Zito to corruption of minors and 17 counts of indecent assault. In return for his plea, the Northampton County District Attorney’s Office agreed to drop 59 other related charges.

Authorities say Kim repeatedly molested a then 13-year-old Korean girl who was attending Pius X High School through Ace Academy USA, the foreign exchange program run by his father, Min Kim. Assistant District Attorney Patricia Broscius said the victim was one of several Korean students living at the Pen Argyl academy. Students kept to a strict regiment of chores, were told not to speak Korean at school and were not allowed to participate in most after-school activities offered at the high school.

Broscius said the victim was struggling to adapt to her surroundings in America, and was scolded by Min Kim, who was called “Daddy Director” by the students, for not smiling enough. The one person she felt close to was Richard Kim, who showed her compassion and made her feel good about herself, Broscius said.

“He was her friend at the school. He was her only friend there,”Broscius said.

Their bond led to one-on-one counseling sessions, Broscius said, but about one month after her arrival in the country, Kim leaned in and kissed her, authorities say. Kim promised not to do it again after the victim pulled away in shock, but the sexual contact gradually escalated to groping and forcing her to perform sexual acts on him, Broscius said.

The contact continued for three months before the victim, who is not Catholic, eventually told a priest during confession at the high school, Broscius said. The priest told her she needed to step forward about the abuse, and the victim alerted her mother back in South Korea what was happening, according to authorities. The mother came to the United State to remove her daughter from the school and informed authorities, Broscius said.

The plea was a stark turnaround for Kim, who vehemently denied the assaults took place when he was first charged. His attorney, Charles Gordon, declined to comment on why his client accepted the plea deal a week before he was scheduled for trial.

The criminal investigation into Richard Kim was hampered by Min Kim, Broscius said. He is under investigation for allegedly telling the other students at Ace to support Richard Kim over the victim, but Broscius would not provide further details. Most of the students at the academy have since left, she said.

A call to Min Kim seeking comment was not immediately returned. Gordon said he is in talks with the elder Kim but does not represent him. He is still listed as a staff member on Pius X High School’s website.

Broscius requested Richard Kim, who was out on bail, be held in Northampton County Prison. She feared that if Kim were allowed to remain out on bail, the remaining students at Ace Academy would be subjected to discipline for their willingness to testify against him. Broscius also said Kim was a flight risk.

“I am certain he has ties to Korea, and I am certain he has the ability and wherewithal to flee the country,” she said.

Gordon dismissed Broscius’ claims, saying Richard Kim has not had any contact with the school since he was charged and has been living in Philadelphia. Richard Kim was born in the United States, attended Penn State University and would be willing to surrender his passport as a show of good faith, he said. Gordon also said Richard Kim had no involvement in any pressure his father may have placed on the other students.

“We agreed the defendant should not be punished for the acts of the father,” Gordon said.

Zito reset Kim’s bail, raising it to 10 percent of $500,000, and ordered Kim to surrender his passport. Court records show Kim made bail, and he is due in court Aug. 3 for sentencing.

Ace Academy has a contract to send its students to Pius X High School through the 2017-18 school year, but Diocese of Allentown spokesman Matt Kerr said the school is reviewing whether to continue its relationship with Ace Academy. At the time the contract was signed, school officials saw the Korean academy as a way to keep the high school afloat as they struggled to keep enrollment up. In 2007, the Korean students made up seven percent of the 212-member student body. This year, enrollment has boomed up to 295, Kerr said.

“School enrollment has grown tremendously in recent years – not just with the Korean community, but overall. I’m sure the school is in a strong position,” he said.

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2011 Jul 07: Ace Academy director accused of sexually assaulting student at the Pen Argyl foreign school

2011 Jul 07: Ace Academy director accused of sexually assaulting student at the Pen Argyl foreign school

By Michael Buck | The Express-Times

on July 07, 2011 at 11:55 AM, updated July 07, 2011 at 9:53 PM

Express-Times Photo | MATT SMITHAce Academy is at 21 N. Lobb Ave. in Pen Argyl.

The director of a Slate Belt foreign study program has been accused of using his position to sexually assault a teenage student, court records say.

Richard Kim, 33, of Pen Argyl, was arraigned this morning before District Judge Adrianne Masut and is charged with six counts of involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, three counts of sexual assault, 17 counts of corruption of minors and 51 counts of indecent assault. He is free after posting $5,000 bail.

Kim’s attorney, Charles Gordon, refuted the allegations leveled at Kim, who is the director of the Ace Academy in Pen Argyl. The facility, which is also known as ACE Education USA, sends South Korean students to Pius X High School in Bangor.

“We vigorously deny this ever occurred,” Gordon said. “Our position is that it never occurred.”

Richard Kim

Kim is alleged to have had 17 encounters with the girl from Nov. 14, 2010, until Feb. 20, court records say. Kim allegedly molested and had oral sex with the girl while the two were alone in the dormitory at 21 N. Lobb Ave., records say.

The case was referred to Pen Argyl police after the Northampton County Division of Children, Youth and Families received a complaint.

Gordon said Kim, who was born and raised in the United States, has been separated from the Ace Academy and will no longer have any contact with the students.

“There has never been a complaint or a hint of a complaint,”Gordon said of Kim.

Gordon requested Masut set an unsecured bail, saying Kim has strong ties to the area and turned himself in this morning. Masut said she could not do that given the nature of the charges. She set bail at 10 percent of $50,000, which was met.

Ace has sent students to Pius X since 2005 and has an agreement to send students there through the 2017-18 school year.

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