Attorney: Elder “Protective Services” is a Racketeering Enterprise Medically Kidnapping Seniors

More than 30 years ago, throughout the United States, state governments created agencies known as “elder protective services.” As seen by such designated titles, these agencies are made to appear as though state governments are helpful resources for citizens. However, nothing could be further from the truth. These so-called protective agencies are, in fact, wolves in sheep’s clothing that I can attest to from not only my direct personal experiences, but also from years of research. Upon years of my reviewing and obtaining voluminous court documentation throughout the Commonwealth of Massachusetts—particularly, in my professional experience as an attorney, there is no doubt, whatsoever, that public officials have been operating a racketeering enterprise through the probate and family courts, feeding off our most vulnerable citizens, the elderly. These public officials do so through physical and financial exploitation of the elderly. In 2015, I filed a federal civil action in the District Court of Massachusetts providing overwhelming and irrefutable documentation that state elder protective agencies is one cog of many in a long-embedded governmental money laundering and embezzlement enterprise.

Parents of Down Syndrome Baby Euthanized by Vanderbilt Hospital Expose Lies of Social Workers in Court

Could things start to be turning around for the Rivenburg family? At stake in the most recent court hearing was the termination of parental rights for the parents of Annalise Rivenburg, the big sister of deceased Baby Steffen. While their family and many supporters around the world waited and prayed, Steffen Rivenburg, Sr., and Patricia Tornberg walked into Judge Wayne Shelton's Clarksville, Tennessee, courtroom on Monday, July 9, 2018. They had been in that courtroom many times, and every time they felt like were walking into a lions den, facing attorneys, social workers, doctors, Guardian ad Litems (GALs), and a judge, all of whom seemed determined to tear them and their family apart. This time, however, it was different. Grandmother Lisa Rivenburg, spokesperson for the family, told Health Impact News: "It was epic! The judge LISTENED to the kids [Steffen, Sr., and Patricia] this time!" This is the first time since their children were taken from them by the Department of Children’s Services (DCS) on February 2, 2017, that the family has felt that they were listened to in court. They don't know why things changed, but they see this as a huge answer to prayer. Annalise is still not home with her family, but her parents' parental rights have not been severed. For now she remains in the foster home that she was placed in by DCS, but she is not up for adoption.

Mother Who Was Sexually Trafficked as a Child in Foster Care Has Her Own Baby Medically Kidnapped – Fears for Her Safety

A Maryland couple followed the advice of their doctors, and now their baby has been taken away from them by Child Protective Services. First time parents, Jennifer Guskin and Scott McFalls, were concerned about their baby's weight, but none of the three pediatricians they consulted noticed that baby Iris had a tongue and lip tie. By the time they found a doctor who figured it out, CPS had already decided to take their baby from them. It is the kind of nightmare scenario that could happen to any family. Doctors may not always be able to figure out why a child isn't gaining weight, but as soon as the baby is diagnosed with failure to thrive, Child Protective Services is often quick to blame the parents and seize the child. Unlike most families, Jennifer Guskin and Scott McFalls know all too well what kinds of horrors possibly face children taken by CPS and put into foster care. Jennifer was adopted as a baby herself, and she has recently gone public with horrific details about her childhood and how she became a victim of child sex trafficking and experimentation. Jennifer and Scott recognize the danger that their baby is in, and that thought terrifies them.

Tennessee Court Seeks to Terminate Parental Rights for Young Sister of Down Syndrome Baby Euthanized by Vanderbilt Hospital

It has been just over a year since the death of Baby Steffen Rivenburg Jr. at the hands of Vanderbilt Hospital, Tennessee Department of Children’s Services (DCS) and Judge Wayne Shelton's court. Since his tragic, senseless death, his family has been fighting DCS and the court for custody of Baby Steffen's older sister, Annalise. On Monday, July 9, parents, Steffen Rivenburg Sr. and Patricia Thornberg, will again go to court over custody of Annalise. Maybe. They were supposed to have court on Monday, June 11. When they went to court that day, they were told that court was cancelled. They again went to court on June 19 for a scheduled foster care review board hearing. When they arrived on that date, they were told that court was changed to July 23. They later received documents in the mail telling that that court was to be held on July 23. Quite by accident, they learned that the July 23 hearing has been moved to Monday, July 9. Steffen's mother, Lisa Rivenburg, the unofficial family spokesperson, told Health Impact News that they called the court this past Monday, July 3, about filing some paperwork. That was when they learned that their court date had moved up 2 weeks. If they hadn't called the courthouse, they never would have known about the date change. The hearing will presumably address motions filed by DCS, including a "Motion to Ratify Per Plan and Motion to Review Permanency" for Annalise. On June 11, 2018, DCS filed for termination of parental rights over Annalise. The family has 30 days to respond to the TPR filing. They hope to address the filing in court on Monday, July 9. The public is invited to come to the Montgomery County Juvenile Court at Two Millennium Plaza, Clarksville, TN 37040 on Monday, July 9, at 10:30 a.m.

Father Wrongly Convicted for Shaken Baby Syndrome Death of Son Set Free After 10 Years

A District Court judge has overturned the 2009 homicide conviction of Robert Wilkes, marking yet another court victory for the Montana Innocence Project. Wilkes’ 3-month-old son, Gabriel, died in October 2008. More than a year later, Wilkes was convicted in the baby's death and sentenced to 40 years in prison. The Montana Innocence Project began to look into his case in 2012, finding that Gabriel had no signs of abuse and that the prosecution relied on the theory of Shaken Baby Syndrome in Wilkes' case. The Innocence Project gathered a series of medical experts from around the country to review the case. They determined a number of other likely causes of his death. Also, the medical examiner who performed the autopsy had listed the cause of death as “undetermined,” something Wilkes’ defense attorney did not present at trial. In an order issued Thursday, District Court Judge James Haynes of Ravalli County, who was brought in to oversee the Wilkes case, overturned the conviction. As part of his order the judge concluded that Wilkes’ attorney at trial had been ineffective in his representation of his client. In a statement, Innocence Project attorney Toby Cook said the medical evidence they presented was “overwhelming.” “While we have always believed in Dave’s innocence, he can never regain the 10 years he has lost,” Cook said.

Massachusetts Attorney Exposing Medical Kidnapping Threatened with Being Disbarred

Lisa Belanger says that she was always "Daddy's girl." She is the youngest daughter of Marvin Siegel of Boxford, Massachusetts, and she and her father have always been very close. It has now been more than a year and a half since she has seen her father, not by her choice or the choice of her father. A court, guardians, and lawyers have medically kidnapped her father, essentially imprisoning him in his own home, and they have forbidden his baby girl from having any contact with him. Lisa Belanger is an attorney who followed in her father's footsteps, and she is not taking this cruel twist of life lying down. She has been fighting to get him back since he was taken under state guardianship in mid December 2011. Now, in what she sees as retaliation for exposing the corruption in the guardianship system in and around the Boston area, an attorney, who has been fighting alongside the guardians against the family of Marvin Siegel, is attempting to have Lisa Belanger disbarred. This attorney, Marsha Kazarosian, was hired by Mr. Siegel at one time, but just before he was medically kidnapped, he attempted to fire her. In a handwritten statement, he wrote: "I want to terminate your services for going against my wishes." Kazarosian refused to be dismissed. Now, almost 7 years later, Lisa Belanger is still fighting the attorney for one of the most basic of human rights - the right to have a relationship with her father. She says that the complaint against her essentially boils down to this: They're saying, "We're going after you because you dare to expose us."

Children Taken by Arizona CPS for 2.5 Years Return Home with Horrible Accounts of Abuse in Foster Care

A young Arizona boy wrote a heartbreaking letter to his teacher describing the horrors that he saw while he was in a group foster home. Had the things that he talked about happened in his own family home, the teacher would have been mandated to contact Child Protective Services, and a social worker likely would have taken him from his home before the day was out. However, the incidents happened under state custody, and it was almost a month later that the teacher told the boy's mother about the letter. As hundreds of parents have reported to Health Impact News, the real abuse and dangers in foster care are swept under the rug by social workers, while minor incidents or accidents that happen in loving family homes are turned into major catastrophes that Child Protective Services must rush in and address. The children of Arizona mom, Aprilli Coumpy, were taken from her by the Department of Child Safety (DCS) in March of 2015, over an accidental injury involving spilled Ramen noodles. The children spent almost 2 1/2 years in various foster and group homes, before they were finally returned home. Their case was closed on August 15, 2017. The separation traumatized the children and their mother, and they are in counseling as they try to heal and move forward from the harm caused by those charged with protecting families. Now that the children are finally back home and starting the healing process, they want to go public with the horrible abuses the children suffered while in foster care.

Texas Mom Blamed for 4-Month-Old Daughter’s Accidental Gardasil Vaccine Injury – Loses Parental Rights

A Texas jury decided Thursday afternoon, June 21, to terminate the parental rights of a mother whose 4-month-old baby was injected with the Gardasil-9 vaccine in error. Anita Vasquez is devastated. She and her friends and supporters are shocked that this could happen. Instead of doctors and social workers considering the possibility that the symptoms her daughter, Aniya Blu Vasquez, experienced could be related to the vaccine that is not approved for children under 9-years-of-age, Anita was blamed, and her daughter was taken from her by Child Protective Services (CPS). Anita tells us that there was important information that the jury did not hear before making their decision. There were things that she believes her attorney should have presented but did not. For example, only doctors who believed that there were no side effects from the Gardasil vaccine were allowed to testify.

Florida Illegally Separating Children of U.S. Citizens from their Parents – Where’s the Outcry?

Young children torn from their parents, sleeping in a different bed every night. Families torn apart needlessly - and illegally -- over and over again. But this time it's not the U.S.-Mexico border. This time it's Florida. Who says it's illegal? A report commissioned by the state itself. Why is it happening? In part, because caseworkers are terrified of "media consequences" if they leave a child in her or his own home and something goes wrong.

Mother Faces Jury Trial As Texas Seeks to Terminate Her Parental Rights Over Daughter Injured by Gardasil Vaccine

A trial began this week for a mother who was separated from her baby after the 4-month-old mistakenly received a Gardasil-9 vaccine intended for her older brother. The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services seeks to convince a jury to terminate the parental rights of Anita Vasquez for her now 22-month-old daughter, Aniya Blu Vasquez. Jury selection began on Monday, June 18, 2018, for the trial which is expected to last up to 2 weeks. We originally reported their story in June of last year. The previously healthy baby, Aniya, began showing symptoms of problems almost immediately after getting the Gardasil shot, a vaccine which is not approved for use in children under 10 years of age. Her mother sought medical attention for the symptoms that her daughter exhibited, asking each practitioner about the connection between the symptoms and the Gardasil-9 shot that her baby should not have received, but her concerns were rebuffed at every turn. No doctor that saw her daughter wanted to admit that the vaccine could have any kind of side effects. The doctor who made a medical error in giving her the vaccine has suffered no consequences, but the baby's family has been ripped apart, as the mother is being blamed for her daughter's medical condition.

American Children Terrorized by CPS While Lawmakers Cry About Border Children

Americans are in an uproar about illegal immigrant parents and children separated at the border. The level of hysteria surrounding this topic has reached a fever pitch with senators like Chuck Schumer mugging distraught for the cameras at every opportunity. While the shrill voices shriek loudly about the rights of Mexicans and other assorted border jumpers, American parental rights are being stripped from them, unconstitutionally, every single day. American parents have lost their due process and Fourth Amendment rights, and most of them don't even know it. Most anyone who has been visited by Child Protective Services can testify to the absolute terror that the state can inflict on a family for very little or no reason at all. Right now in the state of Mississippi, Michael Chambers is missing his little girl, Belle. His nightmare began when a Mississippi social worker, Kyra Reed (who also goes by Kyra Carson), knocked on his door demanding entrance without a warrant. Chambers was never told what the charges were. Chambers refused to allow the social worker in without a warrant, and this began a process of the social worker trying to get into the home without a warrant. When she was unsuccessful, she simply abducted Chambers' daughter from school.

7-Year-Old Sister of Down Syndrome Baby Euthanized by Vanderbilt Hospital Still Not Returned to Family – State Wants Her Adopted

Friday, June 8, 2018, marks the 1-year anniversary of the tragic death of medically kidnapped Baby Steffen Rivenburg at Vanderbilt Hospital, under the care of Tennessee Department of Children's Services (DCS). His big sister, Annalise, remains in foster care and DCS is, again, trying to terminate parental rights. There will be a march and candlelight vigil in Baby Steffen's honor on Friday, June 8th, at the Nashville State Capitol building, followed by a Saturday afternoon event with several speakers discussing judicial accountability, family integrity, and other issues important to families. The public is invited to attend. Baby Steffen's story was one of the most heart-wrenching stories that we have covered at Health Impact News, and there still remains no justice for the family. At times, over the past year, it appeared that Annalise might be coming home. However, about 2 weeks ago, the family received a letter in the mail telling them to be in court on Monday, June 11, because DCS intends to file to terminate parental rights.

Trump Administration Continues Practice of Blocking Attempts to Investigate Elder Abuse – Adult Medical Kidnapping

Health Impact News reporter, Terri LaPoint, recently wrote a report explaining that in the United States today, over 1.3 million seniors are currently held under appointed guardians, representing over $50 billion in seized assets. That makes adult medical kidnapping a far more prevalent occurrence in the United States than child medical kidnapping, since the published figures of children currently in foster care number about 450,000. (See: Adults Medically Kidnapped: 3X More than Children in Foster Care – $50 BILLION in Assets Seized.) Today's guest commentary about elder abuse and adult medical kidnapping comes from Massachusetts Attorney Lisa Belanger, who has experienced first-hand, both through personal experience and through litigation, the injustices and crimes being committed against elders in the United States. Attorney Belanger is commenting on a recent article published in Law360 entitled: Trump Admin Stonewalling Atty’s Probes Into Elder Abuse.

Harvard-trained Beverly Hills Doctor Mom Still Fighting for Kids After 6 Years

Reporter Sara Tiano of The Chronicle of Social Change, an online news publication dedicated to solution-based news coverage of child welfare, juvenile justice, mental health and educational issues faced by vulnerable children, has written an investigative report about the case of Dr. Susan Spell, a Harvard-trained Beverly Hills California doctor who has been fighting to regain custody of her children for over 6 years. Health Impact News originally reported on Dr. Susan's case back in 2015, and Tammi Stefano of the National Safe Child Show first brought Dr. Susan's story to the public in LA County in 2014 by having Dr. Susan on her show. Tammi Stefano of the National Safe Child Show first brought Dr. Susan's story to the public in LA County in 2014 by having Dr. Susan on her show. The Chronicle of Social Change is reporting that: "In March, Los Angeles County paid a $150,000 settlement to a celebrity Beverly Hills doctor after social workers lied under oath and falsified evidence to take her four kids from her, amid a thorny custody battle. But despite the payout — and the help of top-notch private lawyers — Susan Spell, whose TV credits include Oprah, CNN, Good Morning America, and Dr. 90210, still doesn’t have her kids back."

Philadelphia Family Court Judge Exposed and Charged with Illegal Medical Kidnapping

A state appeals court has accused a Pennsylvania judge of “judicially created parental alienation” and a failure to provide due process when she kept a baby in “protracted foster care” after receiving no explanation for broken ribs and then terminated parental rights. The judge, Lyris Younge of Philadelphia Family Court, abused her discretion when she refused to place the child known as N.M. in the care of a grandmother, according to the May 4 decision by the Superior Court of Pennsylvania. Younge also refused to allow the child’s mother to be represented by two lawyers at once, and refused to allow introduction of expert medical reports that attempted to explain N.M.’s broken ribs, the court said. Judge Younge has a history of violating parental rights in her courtroom, but because family court records and rulings are kept confidential on a non-public docket—unless appealed—they do not draw scrutiny. How many other families has Judge Younge destroyed?

Mother’s Day Reunion: Military Dad and Mom Reunited with Children 3 Years After Kansas Took Them Over Medical Cannabis

Shortly before Mother's Day 3 years ago, on April 26, 2015, the Department for Children and Families (DCF) in Kansas seized 5 children from Raymond and Amelia Schwab over false allegations. Now, just before Mother's Day 2018 - 3 years later - their nightmare is officially over. The children are home and the case against them is finally closed. The final closure of the case was not expected to happen for another 2 months, but the unexpected email arrived Thursday, May 10, 2018 to announce the good news. Even so, Raymond told Health Impact News that even this is not really a "win" because they lost so many years with their children. Those are years they can never get back. Health Impact News has previously reported that, under DCF care, at least one of the Schwab children was sexually assaulted, and others were abused. The parents want to encourage other parents who are fighting for their children: "We've just got to keep up the fight and hope that our story inspires people to never give up. Never quit. Never surrender." The part of fighting DCF to get their children home is indeed over. But the battle for families is not over by any means. Raymond and Amelia Schwab and Jennifer Winn have each stated that they intend to keep fighting for justice for all families.

2-Year-Old Girl Taken Away From Parents Because Military Vet Dad Chose Medical Cannabis Over Dangerous Psych Drugs for PTSD

Parents Ashley and Edward Thomas of Idaho recently had their 2-year-old daughter taken out of their home, as police arrested them and locked them up in jail. Their crime? Edward is a disabled military veteran who suffers from PTSD after serving in a combat role in Iraq. Not doing well with toxic pharmaceutical drugs, which many reports link to an alarming increase in suicide rates among veterans, Edward turned to medical cannabis to ease his stress and stop his seizures. In many states, this would be perfectly legal, as most states are moving towards approving legislation for the medical use of marijuana, if not decriminalizing entirely. But not in Idaho. Idaho is the home of these young parents, however, who need the support of their family in their home state. Now Edward and his pregnant wife face a future as branded criminals as the State of Idaho takes custody of their children.

Parents File Federal Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Minnesota Because CPS Kidnapped Their Children

This past week (April 2018) a group of Minnesota parents filed a federal civil rights lawsuit accusing Dakota County and the State of Minnesota for kidnapping their children and placing them unnecessarily into foster care. The lead plaintiff in the lawsuit is Dwight D. Mitchell, who founded an association of parents called Stop Child Protection Services From Legally Kidnapping, which has about 250 members in Minnesota. Mr. Mitchell and several parents held a press conference at the State Capital last week, and Mr. Mitchell was interviewed by several local media sources. Mr. Mitchell explains how he had his three children removed from his home because a family babysitter reported him to CPS for a "bottom spanking" with one of his children. It took him almost 2 years to get his son back home.

Mom Who Lost 2.5 Years of Her Children’s Lives While They Were in Foster Care Seeks Attorney to Fight Corruption in Arizona

The Coumpy children are finally back home. Their mother, Aprilli Coumpy, has lost over 2 years of her children's lives, time that can never be replaced. And like most children who are taken away from their families, the Coumpy children are still suffering today, even though they are back home. They were seized by Arizona's Child Protective Services back in 2015, after an accidental injury when the children woke up early and decided to cook breakfast for their still-sleeping mother. It was something that could have happened in any home. After a hard-fought battle against the State of Arizona, where the state even tried to get Health Impact News to remove their stories on this case published on MedicalKidnap.com, the children were finally returned home shortly after the latest Health Impact News article on their family was published, which exposed wrong-doing by the Department and by social worker Lisa Millett. Like many families, the Coumpys decided to lay low and stay out of the media spotlight as they began their journey of healing. It has been 8 months since their case was closed on August 15, 2017, and the family is still suffering trauma from the overreach of Child Protective Services into their lives. The mother, who refused to give up fighting for her children when they were in state custody, is now determined to fight for justice, not only for her children, but for all children who are victims of social workers who abuse their power. Aprilli Coumpy seeks an attorney who will help her to file a lawsuit on behalf of her children, all the while she is working to help her family heal from the damage inflicted on them when they were taken.

Young Child Molested by Nurse in Foster Care Still not Returned to Mother More than a Year Later

After 3 years of fighting to get her daughter home from foster care, South Carolina mom, Kaya Thomas, has been given a new hoop to jump through. She was told in court on April 18, 2018, that she has to get a bigger vehicle by the beginning of June as a condition for Kaya to begin unsupervised visits with her daughter, Egypt. Kaya Thomas did not abuse her daughter. This fact is not even in dispute. Egypt was the victim of a crime perpetrated by her biological father when her mother was not present. For that, he is behind bars. Yet, three years later, an innocent mother is still fighting the system to get her daughter home. She is not financially in the position to be able to go out and get a bigger vehicle. She only has a month to get it. Social workers have told her that if she sets up a GoFundMe type of account to ask for help, that will be used against her. How do parents fight this kind of tyranny? All Kaya Thomas wants is for her little girl to be home where she can love her and take care of her. Will the lack of a larger vehicle really keep the state from returning a child to her mother?