Monday, April 6, 2009

Samoan Adoptee in the News

Everyone has heard about the Focus on Children and their crimes against both adoptive parents and “birthparents.” It disgusts me that these operators of this agency only got a slap on the wrists. The Banks were told never to work in the adoption industry ever again. Karen Bank’s sister still owns the business in Wyoming. I wonder if Karen and Scott Banks are still listed as board of directors. The Banks and Dan Wakefield are supposed to contribute to a trust fund that supports communications between the birth families in Samoa and the adoptive families in the United States. Maybe if they use the sale of their home in Wellsville, Utah, it will help cover the costs of phone calls, trips, and post office boxes for these families.

The Sawyers have been mentioned on several occasions in various news articles around the country. It was never their intent to adopt a child who had been bought for mere cans of tuna or bags of rice by the agency. They never intended that their adopted child to be kidnapped by the Banks or any of their affiliates.

Well the Sawyers are lucky. They get to reunite their daughter with her “birthparents” this summer. It is wonderful that this family has that opportunity. I commend an adoptive mother who is able to do this. I do know that there was an adoptive father that was worried that his child would be taken back to Samoa. He did not want the “birthparents” to have the legal jurisdiction to be able to do so. Keep a watch out for this reunion on ABC news this summer possibly late fall.

Keep in mind as well that Scott and Karen Banks are serial adoptive parents. What does that mean? It means that they have adopted many children. Two of their Samoan adoptees have been sent back to Samoa to be educated there instead of the United States. Why? Karen Banks could not bond with these two children. Scott and Karen Banks also put another child, Greg, in a group home because they did not want their family home to be scratched up by his walker and his wheel chair.

Another situation that everyone needs to be aware of is the Kirkpatrick family. This family had finalized a Chinese adoption of a baby girl. They needed respite care for their daughter as they also had twin boys to contend with at the same time. The Banks took this opportunity to snatch another adoptee for their collection of adoptees. China would not let them adopt as they had too many children. The appeal on this case was recently heard. The family is currently waiting for a decision from that court.

It is a shame that the Federal government could not investigated this agency further. They too have connections to Mai Ly LaTrace as she helped Focus on Children as a facilitator. There could also be issues with many of the Cambodia adoptions before they shut down that channel for adoptions. She is listed on their 1999 tax return as well. It is a shame that the Federal prosecuter did not take it any further.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Well, we all know that Utah is a Theocracy State. Meaning that if your not a Mormon then you do not get the "special judicial privileges". The Banks, are Mormons. They also had a baby in the Focus on Children Nanny House that was taken back by the Biological mother, yes, I said Biological mother and then treated and died at the hospital for dehydration. Karen Banks was stopped at the local Western Samoan airport as she was trying to flee. Auriel Banks and Ethan Banks were pre-teen when they were dropped off in Western Samoa. They were adopted children who the Banks no longer wanted. Greg Banks, had a opportunity to be adopted by Heather Mons, who was his school teacher but Karen and Scott Banks did not want their neighbors to know what lousy parents they were, neither did they want their Ward Members to know, that they were going to depose of another adopted child. They sent this innocent adopted child to a group home in Utah. Instead of being adopted by his school teacher who loved and adored him. The Chinese girl. well that is an interesting case. See the Scott and Karen Banks, duo was arrested, a Grand Jury indicted them on 135 Counts of fraud, money embezzlement, child trafficking, etc. They had neglected Greg Banks, according to a affidavit that was submitted to the court by Heather Mons. Scott Banks had lied to a District Judge Low, saying that the adoptive family of the Chinese girl had relinquished their parental rights which was a lie. See, if your a liar, which fraud is your always a liar. Auriel Banks submitted an affidavit, so did her Samoan father, which told of what loser the Banks are as parents. But, the judges, GAL et al were all mormons. Feel sorry for all of the children in the house of the Banks. May they grow up to know the true lack of character of their parents.