[Vision2020] Meridian, Idaho Baptist U.S. Missionaries Charged with Kidnapping in Haiti

[Ted Moffett]

Sislby may not have had "good intentions," but others who followed her to
Haiti may have had good intentions, however naive and uninformed they were
regarding this effort to ostensibly rescue children:

http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/1068735.html

But attorney Edwin Coq said the group's leader, Laura Silsby of Boise, knew
what she was doing was wrong.

"I'm going to do everything I can to get the nine out. They were naive. They
had no idea what was going on, and they did not know that they needed
official papers to cross the border," Coq said. "But Silsby did."

------------------------------------------

Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
On Thu, Feb 4, 2010 at 10:40 PM, Saundra Lund <v2020 at ssl.fastmail.fm> wrote:

>  Sorry – I’m no longer inclined to assume “good intentions” since Silsby
> has a very, very long history of disregarding the law.  Thank God she was
> stopped, otherwise who knows what would have become of those poor children
> L
>
>
>
> To me, it looks like the tragedy in Haiti simply provided Silsby an excuse
> to get out of Dodge just in time!
>
>
>
> http://www.idahostatesman.com/localnews/story/1067267.html
>
>
>
> February 04, 2010
>
> Laura Silsby, a local missionary to Haiti, left trail of financial woes in
> Idaho
>
> *The Boise woman has a pattern of flouting laws. She's due in Ada court
> again this month.*
>
> *BY KATY MOELLER - kmoeller at idahostatesman.com*
>
> Copyright: © 2010 Idaho Statesman
>
> *The Boise woman has a pattern of flouting laws. She's due in Ada court
> again this month.*
>
> The Idaho woman who led a group of 10 Baptists on a mission to help
> children in Haiti admits to failing to obtain paperwork needed to move 33
> children to the Dominican Republic.
>
> But even before Laura L. Silsby and seven other Idahoans ended up in a
> Haitian jail accused of trafficking in children, Silsby had a history of
> failing to pay debts, failing to pay her employees and failing even to
> follow Idaho laws.
>
> Silsby has been the subject of eight civil lawsuits and 14 unpaid wage
> claims. The $358,000 Meridian house at which she founded her nonprofit New
> Life Children's Refuge in November was foreclosed upon in December. A check
> of Silsby's driving record revealed at least nine traffic citations since
> 1997, including four for failing to provide insurance or register annually.
>
> Silsby is a longtime Treasure Valley businesswoman. In 1999, she founded an
> Internet business. As CEO of PersonalShopper.comnear Overland and Maple
> Grove roads, the mother of three was named eWomenNetwork's international
> businesswoman of the year in 2006.
>
> Three years later, building an orphanage for Haitian and Dominican children
> became Silsby's vision, and the 40-year-old brought others on board,
> including her 24-year-old nanny, Charisa Coulter.
>
> "The folks in the church embraced their vision, and it became a shared
> vision," said Coulter's father, Mel. "The church made it part of their
> missions program."
>
> But Silsby's failure to work with Haitian authorities before trying to take
> children from the country last week has many questioning the woman and the
> cause.
>
> Members of her church, Central Valley Baptist in Meridian, did not return
> calls Wednesday.
>
> An e-mail circulated Wednesday at PersonalShopper.com urged employees not
> to speak to the press or post any information on Web sites. "Given the
> aggressive nature of the press and the fabrications already being invented,
> we need to make sure nothing in writing is published that can be
> misconstrued in any way," the e-mail says. Employees also were given the
> option to work from home to avoid reporters.
>
> *UNPAID WAGES*
>
> Fourteen claims, including two by the same employee, were filed against
> Personal Shopper Inc. for nonpayment of wages between Feb. 21, 2008, and
> July 21, 2009, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
>
> The total dollar amount of the 14 claims was $38,100.09. Department of
> Labor compliance officers determined that $30,620.26 was owed to the
> employees; the department also assessed a $4,000 penalty against the
> business.
>
> Five claims were denied, dropped, or the department did not have
> jurisdiction. PersonalShopper Inc. paid the employees their due wages and
> penalties.
>
> The business' former marketing director, Robin Oliver of Eagle, filed a
> civil suit against Silsby and Personal Shopper Inc. in October for alleged
> unpaid wages, wrongful termination and fraud.
>
> The suit says that Oliver was promised an annual salary of $110,000, with
> twice-monthly payments of $4,583.33. The suit alleges that Personal Shopper
> was delinquent on five payments, for a total unpaid wage claim of
> $22,016.65.
>
> "In multiple e-mails during 2009, Ms. Silsby repeatedly told plaintiff that
> she had investors 'committed,' that the money was being 'wired,' and that
> investors were going to be providing funds," the suit says.
>
> *Silsby is due in 4th District Court at 2:45 p.m. next Wednesday; a jury
> trial is scheduled for Feb. 22. *
>
> *Court records show that Silsby also is due in court in March to answer
> for another civil suit against her. *
>
> Beer & Cain, a Boise law firm, filed a civil suit against Silsby in January
> this year. The suit says Silsby owes the firm $4,526.59 and interest for
> services rendered. "The demand for payment was made on May 20, 2008,
> February 4, 2009, and April 3, 2009," the suit says.
>
> Attorney Dennis Cain declined Wednesday to comment on the suit.
>
> *SUITS, TRAFFIC INFRACTIONS*
>
> Court records also show that Silsby has been sued by several seeking
> payment for services or return of goods:
>
> - On July 28, 2009, Disaster Kleenup in the Treasure Valley sued Eric
> Evans, Evans Construction and Silsby, asking for a lien in the amount of
> $3,225.79. A notice of voluntary dismissal with prejudice was recorded Nov.
> 8.
>
> - On April 20, 2009, Les Schwab Tire on South Main Street in Meridian filed
> a suit for nonpayment. The business received a default judgment on July 2 in
> the amount of $1,058.91.
>
> - On Feb. 12, 2009, Farm Bureau Finance Co. sued for return of a 2008
> Yamaha YFM 25 RXL ATV, valued at $2,740, from the home where the New Life
> Children's Refuge was based. A default judgment was entered May 7.
>
> - On Aug. 28, 2007, Collection Bureau Inc. sued for $731.33, not including
> attorney's fees and costs. The suit says the money was owed to the Kuna
> Rural Fire District for services. Silsby defaulted, her wages were
> garnisheed and the $1,077.33 judgment later was set aside.
>
> - Two other small-claims cases in 2000 and 2002 were dismissed before trial
> or hearing.
>
> - Silsby logged numerous traffic infractions. She was cited four times for
> failure to provide insurance/failure to register annually (1997, 1998, 1999
> and 2001; the latter was dismissed). She was cited four times for speeding
> or driving too fast for conditions (2000, 2005, 2006 and 2007).
>
> *DEFAULT ON HOUSE *
>
> It's unclear where Silsby resides, though Mel Coulter said he believes she
> lives in South Boise.
>
> Her 16-year marriage to Terry L. Silsby, a real estate agent, ended in
> divorce in January 2007, according to marriage records.
>
> Reached by phone Wednesday, Terry Silsby declined to comment.
>
> Laura Silsby bought a house at 2828 S. Alfani Way in Meridian on Nov. 10,
> 2008. On Dec. 7, 2009, MetLife Home Loans foreclosed on the $358,500 house,
> according to the Ada County Recorder's Office.
>
> Katy Moeller: 377-6413
>
>
>
>
>
> *From:* vision2020-bounces at moscow.com [mailto:
> vision2020-bounces at moscow.com] *On Behalf Of *Ted Moffett
> *Sent:* Thursday, February 04, 2010 4:03 PM
> *To:* Moscow Vision 2020
> *Subject:* [Vision2020] Meridian, Idaho Baptist U.S. Missionaries Charged
> with Kidnapping in Haiti
>
>
>
> I would not be surprised if some or all of those charged in this case had
> good intentions, but were led by their religious beliefs to make some very
> questionable decisions:
>
>
>
>
> http://www.ktvb.com/home/10-American-detained-in-Haiti-being-moved-8-from-Idaho-83558322.html
> #
>
>
>
> 10 U.S. Baptists held in Haiti charged with kidnapping
>
> by Frank Bajak
> Associated Press writer
>
> Posted on February 4, 2010 at 10:29 AM
>
> Updated today at 4:17 PM
>
> PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Ten members of a U.S. missionary group who said
> they were trying to rescue 33 child victims of Haiti's devastating
> earthquake were charged with child kidnapping and criminal association on
> Thursday, their lawyer said.
>
> Edwin Coq said after a court hearing that a judge found sufficient evidence
> to charge the Americans, who were arrested Friday at Haiti's border with the
> Dominican Republic. Coq attended Thursday's hearing and represents the
> entire group in Haiti.
>
> Group leader Laura Silsby has said they were trying to take orphans and
> abandoned children to an orphanage in the neighboring Dominican Republic.
> She acknowledged they had not sought permission from Haitian officials, but
> said they just meant to help victims of the quake.
>
> The children taken from the group, ranging in age from 2 to 12, were being
> cared for at the Austrian-run SOS Children's Village in Port-au-Prince on
> Wednesday.
>
> The U.S. citizens, most of them members of an Idaho-based church group,
> were whisked away from the closed court hearing to jail in Port-au-Prince,
> the capital. Silsby waved and smiled faintly to reporters but declined to
> answer questions.
>
> Coq said that under Haiti's legal system, there won't be an open trial, but
> a judge will consider the evidence and could render a verdict in about three
> months.
>
> Coq said a Haitian prosecutor told him the Americans were charged because
> they had the children in their possession. No one from the Haitian
> government could be reached immediately for comment.
>
> Each kidnapping count carries a possible sentence of five to 15 years in
> prison. Each criminal association count has a potential sentence of three to
> nine years.
>
> Coq said that nine of the 10 knew nothing about the alleged scheme, or that
> paperwork for the children was not in order.
>
> "I'm going to do everything I can to get the nine out," Coq said. That
> would still leave mission leader Laura Silsby facing charges.
>
> State Department spokesman P.J. Crowley said in Washington the U.S. was
> open to discuss "other legal avenues" for the defendants — an apparent
> reference to the Haitian prime minister's earlier suggestion that Haiti
> could consider sending the Americans back to the United States for
> prosecution.
>
> Several parents of the children in Callebas, a quake-wracked Haitian
> village near the capital, told The Associated Press Wednesday they had
> handed over their children willingly because they were unable to feed or
> clothe their children and the American missionaries promised to give them a
> better life.
>
> Their accounts contradicted statements by Silsby, of Meridian, Idaho.
>
> In a jailhouse interview Saturday, Silsby told the AP that most of the
> children had been delivered to the Americans by distant relatives, while
> some came from orphanages that had collapsed in the quake.
>
> "They are very precious kids that have lost their homes and families and
> are so deeply in need of, most of all, God's love and his compassion," she
> said.
>
> In Callebas, parents said a local orphanage worker, fluent in English and
> acting on behalf of the Baptists, had convened nearly the entire village of
> 500 people on a dirt soccer field to present the Americans' offer.
>
> Isaac Adrien, 20, told his neighbors the missionaries would educate their
> children in the neighboring Dominican Republic, the villagers said, adding
> that they were also assured they would be free to visit their children
> there.
>
> Many parents jumped at the offer.
>
> Adrien said he met Silsby in Port-au-Prince on Jan. 26. She told him she
> was looking for homeless children, he said, and he knew exactly where to
> find them.
>
> He rushed home to Callebas, where people scrape by growing carrots, peppers
> and onions. That very day, he had a list of 20 children.
>
> As they loaded children onto a bus in Callebas on Jan. 28, the Americans
> took down contact information for all the families and assured them a
> relative would be able to visit them in the Dominican Republic.
>
> The Americans' journey began last summer after Silsby and her former nanny,
> 24-year-old Charisa Coulter, resolved to establish an orphanage for Haitian
> children in the Dominican Republic. Coulter is among the jailed Americans.
>
> They began buying up used clothing and collecting donations from their
> Central Valley Baptist Church in Meridian and in November, Silsby registered
> the New Life Children's Refuge Inc., the nonprofit organization coordinating
> the rescue mission. It listed the address of her now-foreclosed home in
> Meridian as its headquarters.
>
> Then the quake hit. Silsby and Coulter moved into high gear, gathering
> donations and assembling a team to go into Haiti and urgently take out
> children, the younger woman's father, Mel Coulter, told the AP from his home
> in Kuna, Idaho.
>
> The group packed 40 plastic bins of donated goods into a U-Haul trailer and
> drove to Salt Lake City on Jan. 22, where they took a flight to the
> Dominican Republic. They made their way to Haiti, where four days later,
> they were introduced to Adrien.
>
> Adrien, who had served as the go-between and translator for the
> missionaries, said he had no knowledge of the group's larger plans;
> villagers said they were told none of their children would be offered for
> adoption.
>
> A Haitian-born pastor who said he worked as an unpaid consultant for the
> group insisted the Baptists had done nothing wrong.
>
> The Rev. Jean Sainvil said some of the children were orphans and might have
> been put up for adoption. Children with parents were to be kept in the
> Dominican Republic, and would not lose contact with their families, Sainvil
> said in Atlanta.
>
> "Everybody agreed that they knew where the children were going. The parents
> were told, and we confirmed they would be allowed to see the children and
> even take them back if need be," he said.
>
> Sainvil stressed that in Haiti it is not uncommon for parents who can't
> support their children to send them to orphanages.
>
> Even Prime Minister Max Bellerive has said he recognized the Americans may
> simply have been well-meaning who believed their charitable Christian intent
> justified trying to remove the children from quake-crippled Haiti.
>
> Only minutes before the charges, the Americans' Dominican lawyer, Jorge
> Puello, had said he expected at least nine of the 10 to be released and said
> he was arranging a charter flight for them from Santo Domingo, the Dominican
> capital.
>
> After the Haitian lawyer's announcement, Puello could not be reached by
> telephone for comment.
>
> "I'm at the airport (in Santo Domingo) and we're getting the plane ready.
> We're just waiting for the green light," Puello said. "I spoke to a source
> inside the jail — a government official — who said nine would be released
> but one would be held for further investigation."
>
> ___
>
> Associated Press writer Greg Bluestein in Atlanta and Matthew Lee in
> Washington contributed to this report.
>
> ------------------------------------------
>
> Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
>
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