I mentioned in Take Your Time blog that you need to take time and research options when selecting an adoption facilitator. I used David Bentley (formerly named David Dolinsky) as major example.
I was thinking about this and realize I had a little bit more to add.
I had already selected my facilitator by the time I met David.
And I will admit that I was taken in by him. I thought he was one of the good guys. He talked a good game. I exchanged emails with him about his trips to Ukraine and the orphanage donations. I think that I even sent him money to buy donations. He had some beautiful photos of the orphans he helped posted to his web site. I participated in his Eastern European Adoption Digest (EEAD email list).
Which yes, I noticed. He named it EEAD because this was very close to EEAC. And EEAC’s Ukraine-L was the largest Ukrainian adoption email list at that time. But I didn’t think very much about it.
But then a woman named Becky Swanson got involved. I believe she is the Becky involved with “Starfish” Project in Tomsk, Russia in 2002/2003. It started as a charity to get aid to the orphanages but then expanded to adoption facilitation. She used to have the web site http://www.starfishproject.org/ but it is now available.
Becky somehow found out about David’s involvement with porn web sites. He stated that he just registered the URLs and didn’t have involvement with the content. I think his name was on the URL’s registration. Anyway, Becky started complaining to the NJ department that licensed adoption agencies.
Prior to opening ACHI, Dolinsky had operated hard core pornographic websites which provided links to websites described as “rape,” “rape and torture,” “barely legal,” “teen,” and “pre-teen.” Dolinsky’s past links to pornography raised serious character questions and troubled those active in the international adoption community.
From: Former NJ Pornographer Drops Suit Against Texas Adoption Advocate
David’s agency was finally shutdown in Aug 2003. David decided to sue Becky for defamation.
Here is the rest of the story…
January 13, 2004
(AgapePress) – A former New Jersey pornographer has dropped a lawsuit against a Texas adoption advocate.
Last year, the State of New Jersey shut down “A Child’s Hope International,” an international adoption agency operated by David Dolinsky. The action came after state officials were notified that Dolinsky had once operated hard-core pornographic websites.
State officials were notified of Dolinsky’s past by Texas resident and adoption advocate Becky Swanson. Dolinsky sued Swanson, claiming defamation of character.
…..
the lawsuit was never about defamation, but about intimidation. “It was about trying to keep someone down who was speaking up and shining a light on a very dark part of our society,” he [Becky's lawyer] says.
……
Swanson’s actions prompted New Jersey lawmakers to pass a law that protects the adoption arena from those with questionable moral character. The Law Center reports that the impact of Swanson’s actions were not limited to New Jersey, noting that the International Courts in the Hague have adopted similar measures.
From: One Woman’s Concern for Kids Brings Reforms in Adoption Realm