Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Adoption Fraud
NOTE THAT THE CALIFORNIA PRESS' LANGUAGE: NO HOLDS BARRED IN CALLING A BUSSINESS A BUSINESS AND NOT AN "AGENCY"
NAPA – Prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against the owner of a defunct adoption firm and two former employees who are accused of taking money from would-be adoptive parents for children who were never available.
The Napa County District Attorney's Office obtained an injunction Monday ordering the shutdown of Yunona USA's Web sites, Deputy District Attorney Daryl Roberts said Tuesday.
Prosecutors are seeking more than $1.5 million from the Napa company's owner, Ivan Jerdev, and employees, Nick Sims and Alex Nikolenko.
More than a dozen would-be adoptive parents from around the country said Yunona USA lured them into spending thousands of dollars for supposed foreign orphans who turned out not to be up for adoption. Some claim they spent tens of thousands of dollars to fly overseas to meet their adopted child only to learn that the child was not legally cleared for adoption, and the company refused to return their money.
The company's Web sites featured pictures of Russian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian and Guatemalan children, among others for adoption, prosecutors said.
The suit alleges that Jerdev, Sims and Nikolenko knowingly misled clients and prepared fraudulent contracts.
Jerdev is believed to have fled the country to his native Russia and might try to set up a similar company under a new name, Roberts said.
Sims said he resigned in November and was not involved in fraud. The company shut down on Jan. 6 after police raided the business and confiscated most of its equipment, Sims said.
Prosecutors do not have any information on Nikolenko's whereabouts.
Roberts said the DA's office doesn't expect to collect much money from the suit but hopes it will prevent the company from operating here again, Roberts said.
Police are still investigating possible criminal charges, he said.
Together with fellow defendants Nick Sims and Alex Nikolenko, Jerdev is charged with knowingly misleading clients and drawing up faulty contracts, as well as other fraud-related activities.
The DA's office claims that from 2003 the defendants obtained large sums of money from more than a dozen U.S. families wishing to adopt foreign children.
According to the authorities, the agency has never arranged a single adoption.
Napa authorities in November began an investigation that led to the confiscation of documents and equipment from the agency's office and the closure of its website.
The newspaper said that Jerdev had apparently left the U.S. and could be in Russia at present.
Information from: The Napa Valley Register
NAPA – Prosecutors have filed a civil lawsuit against the owner of a defunct adoption firm and two former employees who are accused of taking money from would-be adoptive parents for children who were never available.
The Napa County District Attorney's Office obtained an injunction Monday ordering the shutdown of Yunona USA's Web sites, Deputy District Attorney Daryl Roberts said Tuesday.
Prosecutors are seeking more than $1.5 million from the Napa company's owner, Ivan Jerdev, and employees, Nick Sims and Alex Nikolenko.
More than a dozen would-be adoptive parents from around the country said Yunona USA lured them into spending thousands of dollars for supposed foreign orphans who turned out not to be up for adoption. Some claim they spent tens of thousands of dollars to fly overseas to meet their adopted child only to learn that the child was not legally cleared for adoption, and the company refused to return their money.
The company's Web sites featured pictures of Russian, Vietnamese, Ukrainian and Guatemalan children, among others for adoption, prosecutors said.
The suit alleges that Jerdev, Sims and Nikolenko knowingly misled clients and prepared fraudulent contracts.
Jerdev is believed to have fled the country to his native Russia and might try to set up a similar company under a new name, Roberts said.
Sims said he resigned in November and was not involved in fraud. The company shut down on Jan. 6 after police raided the business and confiscated most of its equipment, Sims said.
Prosecutors do not have any information on Nikolenko's whereabouts.
Roberts said the DA's office doesn't expect to collect much money from the suit but hopes it will prevent the company from operating here again, Roberts said.
Police are still investigating possible criminal charges, he said.
Together with fellow defendants Nick Sims and Alex Nikolenko, Jerdev is charged with knowingly misleading clients and drawing up faulty contracts, as well as other fraud-related activities.
The DA's office claims that from 2003 the defendants obtained large sums of money from more than a dozen U.S. families wishing to adopt foreign children.
According to the authorities, the agency has never arranged a single adoption.
Napa authorities in November began an investigation that led to the confiscation of documents and equipment from the agency's office and the closure of its website.
The newspaper said that Jerdev had apparently left the U.S. and could be in Russia at present.
Information from: The Napa Valley Register
# posted by Senior Mom @ 4:18 PM 
