Joshua Allen Online

The Business of Child Abuse

By Joshua Allen

A source close to America Care management has told us that the America Care main office in San Dimas was Raided by the FBI and served with a Search Warrant for accounting information and computers.  Reportedly, computers were removed from the premises by authorities.  The source also reported continued contact and inquiries with Homeland Security.

The FBI is involved because tax revenues for America Care,  as such revenues are to all foster care agencies, are paid through federal money.  Homeland Security apparently continues to be interested in the Ghost employee or employees.  And yet we still shake our heads.  Is any of this real?

It has gotten so bad for America Care executives that when they have any questions or concerns, and wish to contact the Department of Children and Family Services, they are referred to county council or basically, the lawyers representing the interests of DCFS.  Nobody else from the county is apparently allowed to speak with anyone from America Care.  Jeepers!

And that, is how serious this emerging scandal appears to be.  We were told by our source that she/he expects indictments of some of the main players in the near future.   That leads us to believe it will be for some type of yet to be determined financial malfeasance, (such as money laundering?) or as Gomer Pyle used to say… “Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!

We would love to verify this with the county and or get the official side of things, but we can’t.  Like America Care, all auditing inquires are being referred to the same county lawyer.

That a public taxpayer supported agency can hide behind lawyers and inapplicable confidentiality laws remains a travesty and mocks all of us.  The secrecy on this and other issues has become so bad that the Los Angeles Times has initiated a lawsuit to obtain information illegally withheld from us by the county.

You can read about the suit here, although it is not particularly related to America Care.  http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-0915-death-records-20110915,0,5104863.story   It is indicative of the their attitude towards the release of information that may be embarrassing to DCFS and or other county employees.

Also:

The past week the administrator Alicia Ciriani (who we don’t believe had much to do with the actual finances beyond looking the other way) sent a letter to America Care foster parents telling them a contract has been signed and that America Care will now be merging with Masada foster agency.

This is beginning to be a pathetic pattern. Originally the agency was merging with Alliance, then we heard Child Net, and now it’s Masada.  It reminds  me of Groucho Marx saying he would never join a club that would let him in.

And we would like to know how an agency such as America Care which will cease to exist in a few weeks can sign any type of contract?

Further, foster parents are free to go wherever they want and many of them  are accepting the direct and indirect financial enticements (such as a $1000 from Homes of Hope being offered to social workers) who are turning around and making their own arrangements with foster parents.  Homes of Hope recently got off a do-not-refer list and are especially hungry according to our source.  Eggelston is also actively involved with ‘recruitment,’ if you could call it that.

Oh, and Futuro Infantil Hispano continues to pay their top two executives Oma Velasquez-Rodriguez and Oliver Castelleno more than a half million dollars a year in salary and benefits.  https://joshuaallenonline.files.wordpress.com/2011/08/corruption-at-its-finest2.png And we continue to have serious questions about how many hours per week Castelleno worked since many employees seemed to think he was mostly retired.

This “poaching,” of foster families by agencies is about one thing only. Money.  And while this is not a particularly astute observation, it is a pathetic one when considering this is all about the treatment and care of Abused and Neglected children.

We believe the only enticement a Foster Care Agency should be allowed when it comes to recruiting/stealing foster families from other agencies is a informational pitch or presentation to the foster parents showing them what a good job the new perspective agency does in helping Abused and Neglected children and the type of caring and diligent support they can offer the foster parents in helping the children.

You’ll excuse me if I leave to wash my hands.

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We’ll keep trying to nail this down.  And thanks to all for your support.  We are deeply grateful.

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