Articles

(Published in judicialcorruptionnews.com 2022)

 Overview

 This article describes a criminal conspiracy by officers of the Hawaii State Court system associated with Judge Joseph Cardoza, who along and others, including bribed notaries, bankers, private investigators, and politicians defraud real property owners and prospective buyers of land parcels offered for sale by the State of Hawaii to recover unpaid taxes on properties. Victims of their fraud and conspiracy have lost money, and even their families and lives, damaged by ‘owning’ a home in ‘paradise.’ Ownership of real property here, on Maui, the “Big Island,” Kauai, and Oahu, risks tragedy and bankruptcy courtesy of the “Judicial Racket” as you will read below. This true story compounds evidence tragically neglected by federal investigators, much like many other narratives published on JudicialCorruptionNews.com. The activities of those exposed here, ‘shocks the conscience.’

 We have compiled this report on behalf of the victims and society at‑large. We detail our personal experience as fellow victims of the conspiracy in the hope that a federal prosecutor or ‘legitimate’ Hawaii law enforcement agency will be able to use the information herein, and our testimonies, to expose and prosecute the persons who perpetrated these conspiracies more common in Hawaii than any other state in the United States according to our knowledge and belief as fellow investigators and ‘whistelblowers.’

 The authors, editors, victims and witnesses who have prepared this article, including the principle story‑teller, Quenin T. Wells, previously with the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency, do not seek money or to recover their personal losses. It’s too late to recover damages from those who defrauded us and our loved ones. We write only to prevent others from experiencing similar losses from this continuing criminal enterprise that features several of Hawaii’s most corrupt lawyers. The main ‘suspects’ are pictured above. But they represent the ‘tip‑of‑the‑iceberg.’ Their crimes are supplemented by their network of Hawaii Bar members, and the appalling way lawyers are encouraged by the Supreme Court of Hawaii’s corrupt leadership, controlling the Office of Disciplinary Counsel, that purposely dismisses these kinds of horror stories. Their stats are appalling. Every year in Hawaii more than 700 complaints are lodged against Bar members. Only one‑in‑seven get investigated. Only four‑or‑five actually get disciplined. This characterizes the “Judicial Racket” controlling the courts and commerce in the “Aloha State.”

 Introduction

 Our story began when we were declared the “high bidders” on a parcel of a property offered for sale at the annual tax auction on Maui in 2014. We purchased two beautiful (but severely neglected) properties located side‑by‑side on a double lot at 1020 Hiehie Street Makawao, HI 96768. These properties were both formerly owned by two sisters, Julia Keikioewa Talifolau and Moana Penelope Ramos, who inherited them from their parents.

 After inheriting title to the properties, the sisters failed to pay any property taxes on them from 1987, the year of inheritance, through 2014 inclusive. Although the younger sister, Julia Keikioewa Talifolau, actually lived in one of the residences on the property and the elder sister, Moana Penelope Ramos, lived in nearby Honolulu, neither paid any taxes during a period of about 26 years. We believe that their reason for not paying taxes was a personal dispute or grudge they held against one another.

Both of the homes we purchased were built on a large corner double lot, with beautiful ocean views. The main home had four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a large kitchen, living room, and dining room, as well as a laundry room and two additional rooms suitable for offices or other uses. It also included a separate lower level living unit complete with three bedrooms, kitchen, and bathroom.

 The second home was built in 1976, a few years after the main home, on an adjacent lot split off from the original home’s oversize lot. It was much smaller, consisting of only two rooms, but shared the same beautiful ocean views as its larger neighbor.

 The homes are located in an upper‑class neighborhood of historic Makawao, an area known as a tourist attraction on the island of Maui.

 These homes were offered for sale at several tax auctions prior to 2014, but surprisingly, no buyers expressed interest or offered any bids so we became interested in purchasing them.

 Before bidding on these properties, we did due diligence research to determine ownership and whether any encumbrances on the title existed. From our title search, conducted through Old Republic Title and Escrow of Hawaii, we found the homes were deeded to the two sisters, Julia Keikioewa Talifolau and Moana Penelope Ramos, as tenants in common in 1987. In May 1996, the older sister, Moana, added her husband, Jerry Ramos, and her daughter, KimberlyKehaulani Ramos Caspillo, as co‑owners of her 50% ownership interest in the properties by means of a deed dated 28 May 1996, and recorded on that date as Document No. 96‑107204 with the State of Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances.

 Further research in public records revealed Moana Ramos hired Mitchell S. Burns, attorney at law, of the Hawaii Estate Planning Law group located in Honolulu, HI, to transfer by means of a warranty (or quitclaim) deed, her 50% ownership interest in the property back into her name alone, thus removing her former husband, Jerry Ramos, (from whom she was by then divorced) and her daughter, Kimberly Caspillo, from any ownership interest in her 50% interest in the property. This deed was recorded at the State of Hawaii Bureau of Conveyances on March 15, 2001, at 3:00 p.m. (Document No: 2001‑037345, by Carl T. Watanabe, Acting Registrar of Conveyances).

 The March 15, 2001 deed (Document No: 2001‑037345) superseded the past deed (Document No.96‑107204) dated May 28th 1996 that gave the grantee, Moana Penelope Ramos, 50% ownership of the property. The deed required her to warrant and defend against any and all lawful claims and demands of all persons.

 We have highlighted in detail the two deeds described above because the subsequent failure of the court Chief Judge Joseph Cardoza on Maui to recognize the existence of the second deed and the omission of any mention of it by the plaintiffs in the legal actions that followed was the primary means by which a fraudulent claim was upheld by Cardoza, and our purchase of the property was invalidated.

 Sisters Who Wouldn’t Pay Taxes

 With Moana Ramos’s death in 2011, her 50% interest in the property legally passed to the surviving sister, Julia Keikioewa Talifolau, who was still living with her son on the property in Maui. Julia Talifolau, the surviving tenant in common, thus became the sole owner of the property and both homes.

 Given the unusual circumstances of Kimberly Caspillo, the daughter of the deceased sister, Moana Ramos’s, having deeded back her rights in the property to her mother, and the fact that Moana Ramos died intestate and that no will, trust or other document dealing with her estate existed in any public record in 2014, three years after her death, we thought it wise to consult an attorney prior to making any bid on the property.

 This phone consultation was with Dow Patent, an attorney specializing in Hawaiian real estate redemption law. We asked him whether the daughter, Kimberly Caspillo, could buy back her mother’s interest in the property under the terms of Hawaii’s redemption program. He informed us that, if Kimberly Caspillo’s mother did, in fact, have a will, trust or probate, whether or not the document was made a public record, the daughter could inherit ownership of her mother’s 50% of the property.

 The attorney also stated that, if no documents were brought forward as proof of inheritance through a will, trust or probate, then Kimberly Caspillo could not buy back an interest in the property since allowing her to do so would violate two laws in Hawaii: the homestead act of 1920, and the underlying public policy of H.R.S. 246‑60, which allows only legal property owners the opportunity to recover their residence following a tax sale.

 When the property and the homes on it were auctioned in 2014 for non‑payment of taxes for the past 31 years, that sale became final because no documents purporting to be a will, trust, or probate of Moana Ramos were brought forward and also because her daughter, Kimberly Caspillo, had not previously obtained any interest in the property under the Homestead Act. When Kimberly Caspillo signed the quitclaim deed disposing of her interest in the property in 2001, she also signed away her birthright interest as a Hawaiian native.

 After making our winning high bid for the property and both homes at the Maui tax auction, we met with the former homeowner, Julia Talifolau, and explained what we had done. To our relief, she told us that she already knew the homes were up for sale for many years prior for unpaid back taxes. She did not offer any reason why the taxes were not paid for so many years and we did not inquire further into the matter.

 We asked Julia Talifolau whether she had a place of residence available to move to. She said she did not and also stated that she had no funds with which to move or pay for a new residence. We advised her that she had the right to claim the remaining cash (which amounted to over $30,000) that we paid in excess of the taxes and fees owing for the property from the county assessor’s office as this money was rightfully hers to use as she wished. It could help her move or since she was formerly the sole heir of 100% of the property, we also explained that she had the option under the Hawaiian redemption laws to buy back the property if she could pay the additional cost of unpaid taxes from the date when she inherited her interest in 1987. She said that, for personal reasons, she would be much happier leaving the area. One would have to view the home to understand this reasoning. We said she could stay in the home until she picked up her surplus cash as long as she left the homes reasonably clean. She promised to claim the excess money and thanked us for telling her about it.

 The Dilapidated Homes

 As the new homeowners, we advised her that we would have to obtain insurance on the properties. In our opinion, they were currently uninhabitable as both had roof holes several feet wide that allowed constant tropical rain to enter, causing wood rot and mold to develop and pose a danger of disease. A visual inspection revealed many animals living in the larger home. Some were chained outside. The residents also appeared to be using the second home as a dump site.

 Both homes were literally falling apart with many abandoned vehicles sitting outside on just their chassis as they had no wheels. We documented the unsanitary conditions and the decayed physical state of the properties with extensive video footage and photographs.

 We realized we were now liable for any injuries that occurred on the properties and our first objective was to obtain insurance as soon as possible. We spent the rest of our first day at the property introducing ourselves to those neighbors willing to get acquainted with us. Many did and all seemed to be good people, but their stories of the former owners, now tenants, who were still occupying our newly acquired homes were not pleasant. Their statements confirmed the opinions we had already formed from observing the condition of the property. They informed us of drug‑dealing and thefts committed by the current tenants and of the fences and other measures they had employed over the past fifteen years to stop the ongoing thefts and illegal activities. They also noted that the trash build‑up in the second home had produced an epidemic of rats in the neighborhood. We assured all we met that day that we would clean the property as soon as the former owner (now tenant) moved out and eliminate the rat infestation by removing their food source. We exchanged phone numbers and flew back to our primary residence in California.

 Our acquisition of two homes in “paradise” for a mere $64,000 seemed a great opportunity for our entire family to pack up from the San Francisco Bay area and move to Hawaii despite the deplorable condition of the property and all the necessary repairs needed. We, after all, are a family contractor business, consisting of husband and wife, who work with our three sons and daughters. With 30‑plus years experience, we felt completely adequate to restore the properties we had purchased to their former elegance. When our new Maui neighbors called to inform us the property was vacant, we shipped our van to Hawaii so that we could use it for traveling and to carry materials for repairs of the property. We arrived on the island thinking that we would have a vacation and begin renovating the homes.

 We found them in deplorable condition: four feet of trash, most pet foods and even human waste, mosquitoes, flies so thick I could barely see. We did not realize that these bugs could infect us disease as we had been bitten many times in California without ill effect, but this was different. This was a tropical area and the bites were the beginning of some life‑threatening and still continuing diseases.

The Double‑dealing Process Server “Court Officer” Foreshadows Doom

 After we arrived back at our Alameda property. We called three insurance companies on the island and asked if we could obtain insurance, but after agents of the three companies viewed the property, they all declined coverage. The uninhabitable condition left us still exposed to liability from lawsuits by the current tenants. After receiving multiple calls from our new neighbors, who kept us updated on the conditions of the homes and of the ongoing drug‑dealing by its occupants and waiting nearly eight months for the tenants to move out, we had no choice but to evict Julia Talifolau. The service we hired served legal papers requiring Julia Talifolau to leave the premises so we could clean it up to obtain insurance, but the eviction agent also caused us much grief. After learning the property had been sold for back taxes, he contacted the former owner and attempted to buy the property back direct from Julia Talifolau who no longer owned it.

Our First Days Dealing with Trash, Rats, Tropical Diseases, and Corrupt Officials

 After our first day inspecting our property in “paradise,” we had no option but to rent a room at a hotel so we could shower and consider what to do next. We advertised in newspapers for local help to at least clean the trash and filth out of the homes as we promised our neighbors. By removing the trash, we would rid the area of rats. We called to get a large 30‑yard dumpster delivered for trash clean up. We ended up living in the our van for three weeks while we cleaned with help from locals hired through posted wanted ads. We also hired a plumber to reclaim the pipes so we could use of toilets and showers.

 By the end of our third week, my wife started showing signs of delirium. When she collapsed, I rushed her to the Maui Hospital where the staff stabilized her condition through the night. In the morning she was diagnosed with leptospirosis, caused by exposure to rat feces. We immediately returned to California where she could recover.

 Upon arriving home we received a letter from an attorney, Matson Kelley (aka Frederick Kelley), who claimed he had been hired to buy back the homes we had purchased on behalf of a person whom he claimed was a daughter of Moana Ramos and who had the right to redeem it. Since we had already researched this possibility, we were certain he was seeking to profit for himself. Indeed, this proved to be the case. Matson Kelley was actually an attorney/per diem judge, appointed by either Joseph Cardoza, the chief judge of the Maui Court, or Mark Recktenwald, the Chief Judge of the Supreme Court of Hawaii. Cardoza was also Kelley’s former office partner and mentor for more than 10 years.

 In his letter, Frederick Kelly falsely claimed that he was hired by Kimberly Caspillo, the daughter of Moana Ramos, who was entitled to 50% of the properties and wished to buy back that interest through the redemption law. Upon investigation, we learned that the facts were different than he represented.

 Matson Kelley actually wanted the property himself, as he knew profits from developing it might be as high as a million dollars. In order to obtain the property, he hired a private detective, Steve Goodenow, to locate the daughter, Kimberly Caspillo, who was living in Honolulu on the island of Oahu.

 [Editor’s note: PI Steve Goodenow’s son is Kenneth Goodenow, a high‑level official with Hawaii’s Campaign Spending Commission. Goodenow serves as a ‘protection racketeer’ for the State’s leading politicians on the take from the State’s leading lobbyists, Morris and Radcliff of Radcliffe and Associates.]

 Kelley also assured Kimberly that she could not be charged with perjury or any crime for signing this document, even though she had previously relinquished all her rights to her mother when she signed the quitclaim deed releasing any and all her interest in 2001.

 In a deposition made two years later, Kimberly Caspillo’s transfer document was established to be a fabrication when Kimberly admitted several times in the deposition that she did not hire the attorney Matson Kelley, had not ever met him before the deposition and did not want the property in question.

 After receiving Matson Kelley’s letter, I was advised by my attorney to hire another attorney who had a law practice in Hawaii. She referred me to Terrance M. Revere, an attorney who had recently won a case in a settlement for condo owners on the island of Molokai. After reviewing the case, Mr. Revere sent a letter to Matson Kelley as follows:

 April 15, 2015

 Dear Mr. Kelley,

 This letter is in response to your previous attempts to force Mr. Giordano to execute a “Quitclaim Deed” transferring title to the property located at TMK (2)2‑4‑021‑007‑0000 to your client, Ms. Kimberly Caspillo.

 First, it is not clear that your client has the standing to assert a taxpayer’s right of redemption. The property was deeded to her mom, Mrs. Moana Penelope Martin Ramos and her mom’s sister, Julia Keikioewa Talifolau as tenants in common in 1987. A later recorded deed dated 2001 was ineffective to divest Mrs. Talifolau of her interest in the property. Upon Moana Ramos’s death, her property interest transferred to Mrs. Talifolau. Therefore, the title is in Mrs. Talifolau, not Mrs. Caspillo.

Second, Mr. Giordano invested a significant amount of money after purchasing the property to rehabilitate the house and garage. At the time of purchase last year, the property was uninsurable because it was filthy and literally falling apart at the seams (see enclosed photos). Any purchase price or litigation bond must include the full amount of these improvements which total over 100K at this time. Litigation will also flush out whether or not any criminal theft occurred before your client vacated the property last July as the copper pipes were sawed off before Mr. Giordano was able to take possession of the property from Mrs. Talifolau and other tenants. This matter also affects the purchase price.

 Third, given the substantial investment, our client has made, and your client’s failure to pay taxes or maintain this property in a sanitary condition for many years, it appears that Mrs. Caspillo is simply acting as a front for a third‑party investor who may wish to flip the property. This violates the underlying public policy of H.R.S. §246‑60 which is to allow a bonafide property owner and homeowner the opportunity to recover their residence.

 In summary, this is not a straightforward case of redemption. Our client has made a substantial investment in this property that is not reflected in your offered purchase price of $78,000. Further, Mr. Giordano is not interested in participating in a fraudulent property transfer as the 2001 deed raises serious questions about whether your client comes to this transaction with clean hands, and even has title to the property. Finally, Mr. Giordano is not interested in selling this property.

 For these reasons, on behalf of our clients, we respectfully decline your purchase offer.

 There are no available legal documents on record since this date legalizing, Kimberly back on the title. Nor did she come forward when her mom passed away in regards to possible probate. Please see pictures also sent in attachments and perhaps you will get an idea, why. Perhaps the pictures also may explain why no taxes on 1020 HieHie Street have been paid dating back to 1987 when the inheritance was recorded.

 The Battle with Attorney Matson Kelley and Judge Cardoza’s ‘Mob’

 This letter marked the beginning of a two‑year legal battle with the attorney Matson Kelley which, unknown to us, we were predestined to lose because the attorney, who was the plaintiff in the legal action, had already established a conspiracy with Chief Judge Joseph E. Cardoza, in which they had agreed that all court proceedings would be decided in favor of the plaintiff’s position, regardless of the applicable law or any evidence to the contrary produced by us, the defendants. What follows is a description of the conspiracy itself and how it was employed to defraud us of property worth at least a million dollars (plus 400k with repairs and attorney fees.)

 The above letter was our attorney’s first response to Matson Kelley plaintiffs and was sent before he realized who was actually suing us. Ironically, we hired Terrance M. Revere because he was referred to us for having won a nearly four million dollar settlement in a similar case on the island of Molokai. We did not learn until months later that it was this same Chief Judge, Joseph E. Cardoza, who awarded him this largest payout win of his career. It took us a few months to learn that our attorney apparently also had a working agreement with Judge Cardoza that prevented him from acting in our interests and instead caused him to work against us in the proceedings that followed.

 Matson Kelley filed a complaint on May 15, 2015, seeking to redeem the property we had purchased. He acted on his own behalf and stated in his complaint that he had purchased the interest of Kimberly Caspillo (including the redemption right) from her previously.

 Our attorney advised us to do nothing until we were legally served with the complaint. This failure to act gave the plaintiffs a five‑month head start at the beginning of the case during which time they took several actions, none of which we were informed of and all of which our attorney allowed to go forward without any effort to object or protect our interests in any manner.

[Editor’s Note: This testimony corroborates our similar experience having hired attorney Gary Dubin to stop the fraudulent foreclosure auction of Paul J. Sulla, Jr. of Hilo. Dubin took $6,000 initially claiming he would ‘enjoin’ Sulla’s non‑judicial foreclosure. He filed nothing and did nothing other than permit Sulla to gain a head start in defrauding and robbing us! Dubin doing nothing permitted Sulla to hold the auction, seen HERE, and file paperwork with the State and courts to steal the Steam Vent Inn & Health Retreat property on the Big Island of Hawaii from Dr. Leonard G. Horowitz.The plaintiffs filed for a probate hearing to reinstate Kimberly Caspillo as an heir of Moana Ramos, and thus restore her right of redemption on the property, despite the fact that she had relinquished her interest in the property years earlier, and had also sold any remaining interest she had in the property to Matson Kelley before filing the probate action. Nevertheless, this illegal probate hearing was allowed to proceed by Chief Judge Cardoza.

 Next, the plaintiffs created an ex‑parte motion for leave to deposit the estimated redemption amount with the court after the redemption period had long been closed. Again, this illegal motion was allowed to proceed by Cardoza.

 Terrance M. Revere’s treachery

 Image result for Terrance M. Revere

 Terrance M. Revere, Esq. advertises himself as “the mostly benevolent dictator” of Revere & Associates, LLLC in ‘paradise.’ Known publicly as a double dealing agent for the ‘Cardoza branch’ of the Hawaii ‘Judicial Mob.’

 The plaintiffs finally served their complaint on our attorney and filed the return of service three months after the original complaint was filed. Then on August 5, 2015, having received no response from our attorney and nothing recorded by the court, they moved for entry of a default against us on August 23, 2015. Judgment was duly awarded by Judge Cardoza.

 Finally, after months of pleading that our attorney, Terrance M. Revere, act professionally in our interest, it became obvious to us that his past and future connection with the Cardoza was of more value than our hourly wages paid to his firm. He simply ignored all our attempts to speak with him directly and instead had his secretary inform us that he was unavailable.

After repeated efforts to contact him failed, Mr. Revere subbed our case to a young female attorney in his firm and told her to represent us. We spoke only once with this newly appointed female attorney who, like her predecessor, also appeared to be taking the plaintiff’s side. We pointed out her firm’s failings in the case and refused to have her continue as our attorney. A week later she did, in fact, start working for the plaintiff’s attorney, Matson Kelley, taking with her all of her own and Mr. Revere’s knowledge of the case.

 Mr. Revere then assigned a newly licensed but gifted attorney named “Andrew” to pursue our case. He immediately asked for all the relevant documents concerning the case and the plaintiff’s secretaries responded on February 19, 2015. They included by mistake an authentic and damaging (to their position) invoice from a private investigator to the plaintiff. This invoice showed conclusively that the plaintiffs were not hired by Kimberly Caspillo, as they claimed to be in their letter to our attorney. The plaintiffs had instead hired an appointed “special administrator,” the same private investigator mentioned above–Steve Goodenow–at a cost of $3,699.67 to do a public property search. We had done the same prior to bidding on the property. They did it here in order to find a person whom they could say was entitled to make a ‘redemption claim.’ The person they found was Kimberly Caspillo, the daughter of the deceased half owner. (A copy of this letter is available on request.)

 Kimberly had no right to make a redemption claim because, as noted above, she had previously quit‑claimed all of her interest in the property to her mother, Moana Ramos, in 2001. This fact was ignored by the plaintiffs who based their redemption claim on Kimberly Caspillo’s non‑existent interest in the property. They claimed Kimberly not only had a right to redeem her mother’s fifty percent interest in the property, but also the fifty percent interest of her aunt, Julia Keikioewa Talifolau, who was still living and whose interest we had purchased years before.

 Our attorney, Andrew, told us that this invoice was a key document and that he would present it in court at the right time. He then filed an objection to the emergency ex‑parte probate, saying he was not notified of the proceeding and, in his opinion, the only emergency was to permit the plaintiff to obtain our property illegally. Andrew then suggested that a lien is placed on the property by us to prevent the title being transferred quickly, as it appeared to him that the chief judge handling this case was corrupt, facts were being ignored, falsified or manipulated.

 We attended the first hearing of the case with Andrew representing us. The sitting judge read the briefs and angrily replied to plaintiffs hired counsel, “You have nothing! This could have been written by anyone.” She then said, “You have no will, trust, or probates to support such claims, only an affidavit that could have been written by anyone!”

 The attorney for the plaintiff simply said, “Well, your honor, we are quite willing to do a probate if you wish.” The judge looked at him and did not respond to his proposition since she knew full well the time for a probate, as well as the redemption period, was long past, and any such proceeding would be illegal. The hearing ended with the judge taking the case under advisement with a verdict to be announced at the next hearing.

 Andrew felt confident this claim would be dismissed at the second hearing, but we were all shocked beyond words by the verdict which the judge read with her head down, “plaintiffs have created an Emergency Ex‑Parte Probate claiming this case is an emergency thus creating an ex‑parte probate in favor of the plaintiff’s.” This ex‑parte order was written and signed by her boss Chief Judge Joseph E. Cardoza.

 We think this was Andrew ’s first encounter with blatant fraud and hearing the verdict was such a shock to him he was unable to speak with us for about 15 minutes outside the courtroom as to what had taken place.

 The fraudulent emergency “ex‑parte probate”

 Click to read a related story published by retired police detective Jim Benish also vetting Paul J. Sulla, Jr. and the Hawaii ‘Judicial Racket’

 The fraudulent emergency ex‑parte probate, once accepted by the judge achieved a number of necessary benefits for plaintiffs. It allowed the judge to claim that she knew nothing of the fraud, as her boss, Chief Judge Joseph E. Cardoza, was responsible for approving the motion and took over jurisdiction in the case. His subordinate then chose to keep her job instead of enforcing the law she was sworn to uphold. Without incriminating herself, she simply turned a blind eye to the facts and allowed the Emergency Ex‑Parte Probate to go forward.

 The fact that the redemption period had past, the supposed heir, Kimberly Caspillo, was not entitled to sell or give away property rights she did not own, and that a valid sale of the property had already been made and paid for, didn’t prevent the three men involved in the fraud, Matson Kelley, John Goodenow, and Chief Judge Joseph E. Cardoza, from creating an emergency ex‑parte probate behind closed doors. Neither the supposed heir, Kimberly Caspillo nor the Giordano family or their attorney was aware of the proceeding or had any part in it. In fact, the only participants were the Chief Judge Cardoza, his appointed Per‑Diem judge/attorney (Kelley) and the appointed special administrator (Goodenow), the same persons who perpetrated the crime and were to gain financially from it.

 On February 20, 2015, approved Emergency Ex‑Parte motion was used for leave to deposit an estimated redemption amount with the court for the property which we had purchased at a valid tax sale. Like the ex parte motion itself, this was done long after the redemption period had passed.

 Our original attorney, Mr. Revere, did nothing to object the emergency ex‑parte motion and, instead, blocked his associate, Andrew Chianese from opposing it. He basically took over the case again and allowed the plaintiffs to do whatever they wished to enforce the right to redeem the property given to the plaintiff as a result of the Ex Parte motion. The last straw was when he finally wrote us himself that the plaintiffs needed entry to the homes on Hiehie Street. We refused.

 Mr. Revere told us that the plaintiffs would get a court order to gain entry. We eventually caved in and allowed them entry, little knowing that the person who entered was doing an appraisal of how much liability I would have to the plaintiffs for using the property I had purchased legally, but now no longer owned.

 Next, Mr. Revere asked us to sign over the lien that Andrew Chianese had filed and recorded for our protection. We refused and finally fired the attorney after concluding that he was no longer working in our interest, but was part of the fraud being perpetrated against us.

We asked Andrew to get an extension to give us the necessary time needed to hire another attorney, but this reasonable request was denied by the chief judge. The conspirators played the legal system well, getting the plaintiff’s legal rights on paper in order to show anyone who would turn a blind eye to the facts or who did not realize that the ex‑parte hearings were rigged, that the fraudulent probate was legal.

 Paul J. Sulla, Jr., following his ‘Public Censure’ for ‘arguing like a reckless man’ before the U.S. Tax Court in favor a tax evasion scheme, advanced to become the nation’s leading illegal hallucinogenic drug trafficker. The main supply of ‘ayahuasca’ (DMT–the new ‘designer LSD’) reaches the mainland U.S. from Sulla’s enterprise on the Big Island. All of this is aided‑and‑abetted by the willfully blind eyes of state and federal law enforcers.

 All the attorneys on Maui declined to take our case when we mentioned who the plaintiffs were, but we finally obtained new counsel on the big island of Hawaii with the firm of Paul J Sulla JR, Attorney at law, who claimed they specialize in real estate and fraud. Upon hearing what took place with our case, Paul J. Sulla said, “Maui is a cesspool of corruption” and that the appointed law firm for the plaintiffs was no more than a ‘glorified collection agency.’

 After he and his associates reviewed our case file and corresponded with us through a series of emails and faxes, Mr. Paul J.Sulla said there were two cases to be dealt with: a fraud in the form of the emergency ex‑parte probate and the illegal redemption claim that followed it. He said if he appealed it to a higher court, the probate fraud would be thrown out, as it was not legal and we could then deal with the redemption issue.

 After we paid him a $30,000 retainer fee to take the case, he succeeded in having the illegal probate overturned within two weeks by the Third Circuit Court.

 However, neither the sitting judge Rhonda Loo who rendered the original probate verdict or Chief Judge Joeseph Cardoza, acknowledged the reversal. Both judges simply ignored the ruling by the Third Circuit (supposedly) higher court that removed this illegal and premature emergency ex‑parte order. The sitting judge, who ruled for plaintiffs at every succeeding hearing, as well as the Chief  Judge Joseph E Cardoza, knew no one would challenge them.

[Editor’s note: This is a sure sign of the Hawaii’s ‘Judicial Mob’ operating ‘above the law’ as a racketeering enterprise.]

 Sulla then set up a deposition during which Sulla’s female associate, lawyer Lockey E. White, deposed Kimberly Caspillo, and extracted facts from her despite the repeated objections of the plaintiff’’s attorneys in the Cardozza enterprise. When asked why she did not attend the emergency ex‑parte order when she was the sole beneficiary of the probate proceeding and the person the plaintiffs claimed to represent, Kimberly stated (for the record) that she did not want the property described in the probate nor to get involved in the probate proceeding. Lawyer Lockey E White asked this question repeatedly to establish beyond doubt that Matson Kelley, the attorney who claimed to represent Kimberly in the probate proceeding, lied about being hired to represent her.

 When asked why she would sell a house worth possible $800,000 for $10,000, the sum Matson Kelley had paid her for her interest in the property, if any, Kimberly responded with, “I did not want it, if I had any rights to it at all.”

 When asked several times whether she knew the attorney who claimed to be hired by her to represent her mother’s estate, Kimberly responded, “I did not know him or hire him.”

 When Kimberly was asked “are you aware the attorney who says you asked him to represent you hired a detective service to find you at a cost of close to $4,000 dollars,” both of her attorneys (hired by Matson Kelley to protect her interest and his own) objected and said the question was based on hearsay with no evidence to back it up.  Sulla’s subordinate Lockey White then produced the invoice with the signature of John Goodenow detailing his work for Matson Kelley (i.e., the attorney who claimed he was hired by Kimberly). Before Kimberly could respond to the original question, her attorney shouted, “I was not aware of this document. In fact, it’s privileged information. I wish it back and for it to be stricken from this and all records.”

[Editor’s note: That is ‘evidence tampering,’ a misdemeanor in Hawaii. In this instance, the evidence raises probable cause of conspiracy to defraud for stealing a $1 million property ‘under color of law.’ The mailing of such documents for purposes to defraud and commit ‘Theft in the First Degree’ could raise the claim of ‘mail fraud.’ That would be punishable by up to 20 years in prison. No wonder Matson Kelley’s accomplice squawked!]Sulla’s subordinate White declined the ‘co‑conspirator’s’ demand, and Kimberly stated she was not aware of the search for her by John Goodenow or its cost.

 Kimberly was a woman of modest means and, when asked how she can afford two expensive attorneys to defend her and who paid her fees, both attorneys again strenuously objected because they didn’t represent her, but were being paid by Matson Kelley. If this fact became part of Kimberly’s testimony, Kelley would be revealed as having fabricated a corrupt proceeding and would be liable with his associates in the scheme for punitive damages and possibly criminal prosecution.

 Kimberly did not respond to this question, but the conspiracy and fraud of Kelley Matson, John Goodenow, and Joseph E. Cardoza was exposed at this deposition.

 Despite the revelations of this deposition, Ms. Lockey E. White told us we may as well sign the property over to the plaintiffs as the chief judge Joeseph Cardoza was still hell‑bent or ruling in plaintiffs’ favor, no matter the facts of the case. She then informed us we could and should open a new case at the federal level, to regain all our monies back and sue Matson Kelley for punitive damages.

Before we could act on this suggestion or even celebrate the fact that the fraud had been exposed by Ms. Lockey E white in the deposition, Mr. Paul Sulla my principle attorney, called us and said the case was over and the plaintiffs won. He said that despite what Kimberly Caspillo had revealed about the fraud, the chief judge Joeseph Cardoza basically was of the mindset that her failure to get involved did not matter as he (Cardoza) knew from day one the case was all a con with him involved in the payoff.

 Mr. Paul Sulla then asked if we were in good standings with the still living and now the only heir to the homes? We said yes and he asked if he could contact her and we agreed to arrange it. He then wrote Julia Keikioewa Talifolau a letter saying that she may be entitled to half the homes she owned if she would sign a redemption claim. She called us for advice and we told her not to sign as we believe doing so would further strengthen the fraud that Kimberly Caspillo had any rights to the homes. We told our attorney that we would not pay Julia’s legal fees as well as our own fees for a case that was based on fraud.

 Attorney Paul J. Sulla, Jr. then said we have nothing left, and so “should settle.” What? We couldn’t believe that he would say that.  And Sulla proposed settling in the plaintiffs’ favor.

 We were confused as to why Sulla seemed to be dismissing our case when his associate, Ms. Lockey E. White, had proved in the deposition that the plaintiffs’ entire case was a blatant fraud! When we questioned Sulla about his motives for this decision, all he would say is that he was “sorry.”  “It’s not right, but they have won,” he said. He then said the plaintiffs would give us back the cost we paid for the homes and added that, by negotiating hard, he had persuaded them to add an additional $30,000 for our troubles.

 We declined this offer and said we would go public with our story on our YouTube channel on which we have a worldwide following. We felt that, if we could expose the corruption ourselves and ask our 55,000 subscribers for help in obtaining a watchdog or new agency to expose these high profile crooks, we could recover our losses.

 Mr. Paul Sulla spent weeks pressuring us to accept the offered settlement and pointing out the additional losses we would suffer, in his opinion, if we did not. He made a point of saying multiple times that, unless we signed away our lien on the houses, the plaintiffs claimed they would have the lien removed in a week. He also pleaded that we should accept the $30,000 he worked so hard for us to get.

 When we finally told Sulla that we had well over $400,000 invested in the property, that the homes were valued at over a million dollars, and that we would go public with this case on our YouTube channel, he became angry and threatened that if we didn’t accept the settlement within 24 hours, he would remove himself as the attorney on record.

 Faced with the prospect of trying to hire a third attorney, continue battling the entrenched corruption in the state court, and start the case over in federal court with all the associated costs, we eventually concluded that we were on a losing crusade. We were also suffering from Lyme disease and leptospirosis contracted during our cleanup and repairs of these Maui properties.

[Editor’s note: This result is precisely what the ‘Judicial Mob’ in Hawaii feeds on–attrition. They wear citizens out using the corrupted courts. The judges are complicit, apparently bribed. Together, the co‑conspirators and complicit parties delay, divert, multiply proceedings, run up legal fees, and wear 99% of honest, hard‑working, victims into submission. THAT’S THE ‘CENTRAL RACKET.’]The settlement we were blackmailed to sign turned out to be a gag order which would prevent us or any of our family members or friends from talking about this case during our lifetimes.

 We refused to sign any of five edited versions of the settlement agreement because they included, in addition to the gag order that would have prevented us from revealing the criminal acts of the plaintiffs, such bizarre provisions as allowing the plaintiffs to deduct from the settlement amount the replacement cost of anything in both homes the plaintiffs felt had been removed and, at the same time, providing no compensation for the $150,000 in materials and labor we had invested in restoring the homes to livable condition.

 Even the sitting judge Rhonda Loo, at the last hearing, acknowledged that the plaintiff’s demands seemed excessive when they demanded that we should be further penalized because we would not sign the one‑sided settlement.

 We were finally forced to sign a final version of the settlement in which the gag order was diluted to a provision stating that we were not allowed to disparage the plaintiffs LLC name in a video. The harsh insistence of attorney Paul J. Sulla, Jr. was that we either sign that agreement or he would remove himself the following day form the case. When faced with other threats from the plaintiffs and our own attorney, I was forced to sign their settlement in 2017.

 Conclusion

 Hawaii Supreme Court Chief Justice Mark Recktenwald and Subordinates Clifford Nakea and Bradley Tamm face judicial racket complaints.

 We wish to publicly divulge all the information about this criminal case and the continuing corruption in Hawaii State Courts that enabled it to occur. We hope that, by doing so, a law enforcement agency will be able to investigate this matter and others similar to it. We are aware of the criminal actions, and wish to bring criminal charges against those who have illegally used their public offices for personal profit. We believe that the corruption in the Hawaii court system can and should be also publicly revealed by investigative journalists with whom we are happy to share our knowledge. We hope that a news agency with a commitment and history of revealing the truth will use this information to bring an end to this ‘Judicial Racket’ that extends across the State of Hawaii.

 We will be pleased to assist any agency that pursues this case in any way that we can to build a criminal prosecution. We are willing to testify under oath to the facts relayed herein.

 We want nothing in return except the public exposure of all those involved in the corruption, and massive fraud, and their criminal prosecution which we believe is warranted and overdue.

 Thank you for taking the time to read this statement, and for any advice or direction you can provide as to how we can publicly expose the crimes described herein. We hope to persuade legal authorities to institute prosecution of those responsible for our damage. And we are happy to join others ‘similarly situated.’

 I have also heard of another case of native Hawaiians being robbed by the same two men, Matson Kelley and Judge Joeseph Cardoza. Chief Judge Cardoza backed Kelley once again, by ruling all ‘red‑herrings’ in the crime gang’s favor.  Thus, as in our case, the mob ran all the necessary paperwork through the courts. The natives watched their church bulldozed down, ‘legally’ destroyed, while the police stood by simply doing their job and making sure there was no violence by the outraged victims.

 That case ended in 2014. That horrendous crime confirms Chief Judge Joeseph Cardoza and Matson Kelley’s administer a ‘pattern‑and‑practice’ of stealing properties and destroying peoples’ lives with the assistance of fellow lawyers like Paul Sulla. Their victims, too often natives, are incapable of protecting their lands.

 I have searched the internet to see whom and how Matson Kelly was given the position of Per Diem Judge. I believe the appointment had to come from Cardoza and Supreme Court Chief Justice, Mark Recktenwald. I haven’t found this out for sure, and I am doubtful that I can, because this “Judicial Mob” operates behind closed doors.  Hopefully, with a private investigator, we can figure this out.

 ‑End‑

 (1) Editor’s note continued: Morris and Radcliff specialize “in legislative and executive branch advocacy at all levels of government.” Capitol Consultants of Hawaii, and G.A. Morris, funneled as much as quarter million dollars in “iShares”—Blackrock securities–to Hawaii State Senator Roz Baker . The alleged bribery conflicted with Baker’s duty to protect consumers from drug industry special interests. Under their scheme, that bribery moved Baker to sponsor laws requiring mandatory vaccinations. Kenneth Goodenow helped to deny objections to bribery and graft. At the Baker hearing, Goodenow was overheard bragging that he knew a different deal had already been struck to exonerate Big Island Mayor Billy Kenoi from indictments for embezzling more than $100,000 in taxpayer money for personal pleasures.

by

Quentin Thomas Wells

(Published in Pioneer Magazine, Spring 2022 – Used by permission)

Daniel H. Wells, in Company with the ailing Brigham Young, visited St. George in May of 1876 and there inspected the temple that was nearing completion. After touring the building and planning for its dedication and opening the following year, Brigham placed his counselor Daniel in charge of a company that journeyed to visit the new LDS settlements along the Little Colorado River in Arizona Territory. 

Lake’s Camp (later Obed),  Smith’s Camp (later Sunset), Ballinger’s Camp (later Brigham City) and Allen’s Camp (later St. Joseph and then Joseph City.) had all been pioneered in 1874, partly by Saints from LDS settlements abandoned in Nevada after a strip of Utah territory was transferred by Congress to that state in 1862 and another in 1866.¹

A company of additional settlers was called by the First presidency in January 1876 to move to Arizona with their families.  These families founded new settlements along the Little Colorado River and were already tending their first crop by the time Daniel and his associates departed St. George in mid-May to bring them additional supplies needed for the coming winter months.

The route to the Little Colorado River Valley was an arduous 350 mile trek across the high desert of the Arizona Strip from St. George to Pipe Springs and Kanab, through the Colorado River gorge, and beyond the arid mountains to the south and east of the Lee’s Ferry crossing.  Loaded wagons moved slowly on the trail as horses and mules struggled to pull them up inclines and drivers strained to check their speed with inadequate brakes on downhill runs.

 With Daniel H. Wells on this excursion were his son Junius Wells, Erastus Snow, L. H. Hatch, D. D. McArthur, Jacob Hamblin, Brigham Young, Jr. and his son, Lorenzo D. Young, and Brother Ensign. They were joined at Kanab by Bishop Lorenzo W. Roundy of Kannara, Bishop L. J. Nuttall of Kanab, Warren Johnson and others bringing additional supplies.²

On the southward journey, while crossing the Colorado River at Lee’s Ferry, the boat transporting Daniel and a number of the party, as well as their wagons and outfits, capsized in the high water of the turbulent river and they were thrown into the rushing water.  In a report sent to President Young just after the event Daniel described what happened:

We take this opportunity of sending you a few lines respecting our trip. We have to mourn the loss of Brother Lorenzo W. Roundy. Our journey up to this place was pleasant and agreeable.

We found the large boat in pretty good repair and the large sweeps which we brought enabled us to load up & commence operations almost immediately. Sent over two loads of horses, 14 and 7 head. Third trip Bro Wells carriage the heavy baggage wagon and Bro. Roundy’s wagon were put on the boat which was maned [manned] by Bro. Wells, Roundy, Hatch, Nutall, Johnson (who keeps the ferry), Hamblin, Carter and Wilkbanks, To make a safe trip and land just where we desire it is necessary to tow the boat half mile up the stream most of the way in an eddy, but there is a rocky point to pass where the current is very swift. Bro. Roundy and Carter were keeping the boat away with poles and oars. Bro. Emmet was assisting at the tow rope with his pony, pulling by the horn of the saddle. The current at this point was too much for the boat and the bow began to dip water, the raft was immediately tossed but caught between two rocks and held the boat fast and the boat went down almost instantly until released of the wagons which floated off. Bro Wells, Hamblin & Nutall swam ashore. Bro. Hatch and Carter were supported by clinging to Bro. Wells’ carriage & Bro. Wilkbank jumped ashore before boat then swung out. Bro. Roundy ran along the rail towards the rear of the boat which was nearest shore and when about half way called out “come on boys all who can swim,” and then plunged into the water and struck out for the shore. After swimming a short distance he was seen to throw up his hands and he sank out of sight. Our small boat reached the spit in a few moments but nothing could be found of Bro. Roundy. As far as possible, under the circumstances the bank and islands below have been searched in hopes of finding the body but no success. Bro. Hatch, Carter and Johnson were recued [rescued] from their perilous situation with the small boat which then followed the wagons and succeeded in grounding Bro Roundy & Hatch’s wagon on a bar where they left it as it was now dark…

The main part of our provisions, all the bedding, guns & cloths of the St. George boys, went down with the wagons. Bro. Wells harness and entire outfit with the exceptions of his mules, their halters and briddles, were lost.”³

Daniel H. Wells was not a good swimmer in any circumstances and on this occasion he was weighed down by his boots and clothing.  He was also past sixty years of age, but still in good physical condition.  He did not panic and calmly struck out for the shore, holding his breath and keeping his face in the water as was his usual practice. Within a minute he reached the shallows, climbed out onto the steep bank, and ever afterward regarded his escape as miraculous. ⁴

Bishop Lorenzo W. Roundy, who drowned despite being an expert swimmer, had told his family before leaving on this trip that he would not complete it.  Said his daughter, “My father said goodby to Susannah his 2nd wife, and to my mother Prisilla (his 3rd wife) and to each of us children for a total of three times each. My father said he would never see us alive again and he would ‘die with his boots on.’ His wives told him to tell the Authorities then how he felt but he said he would rather die with his boots on than to go against the Authority’s wishes.”⁵

Brother Emmel re-crossed the river and carried news of the accident back to Kanab where it was immediately telegraphed north to Salt Lake City.  Despite the loss of a life, as well as considerable equipment and winter food supplies, the expedition continued on its assigned mission, although somewhat reduced in number. As Daniel noted in his report:

“The St. George boys will return from this point. The following brethren will continue _ We can make out pretty well for provisions and have plenty of grain. We have ferried over our four wagons and luggage on the small boat which we brought with us and which has done excellent service¼

We are now all across the river and Bro. Perkins is waiting to take our letters. We shall go to Navajo Springs 8 miles when we expect to camp and let our animals have something to eat. They have had but little but grain since we came here.

We are in good health and trust in God for ability to accomplish our mission, praying God to bless you we remain your brethren –

Daniel Wells

Erastus Snow

Brigham Young, Jr.⁶

At open-air services after they arrived in the Little Colorado Valley, Daniel and the others complemented the colonists on the work they had accomplished and assured them that they were well remembered in the thoughts and prayers of the First Presidency and other leaders.  They also promised additional settlers would be called the following year to reinforce the established settlements and provide manpower for opening new ones.

By the end of July Daniel had returned some 650 miles to Salt Lake City and was devoting his time to Church affairs there: he issued mission calls, sent instructions to Church-owned farms, managed Church work projects, settled marital disputes, and handled other similar matters.⁷

Although he was still ailing, Brigham Young left Salt Lake City again for St George on the first of November 1876. Through the winter he supervised the completion of the temple there and the worked to strengthen the southern settlements in Utah and Arizona.  Daniel kept in touch with Brigham by letter and, concerning urgent matters, by telegraph. A typical note to the President says:

“I have not forgotten your instructions with regard to raising means to pay for the flour sent to the Little Colorado settlements and we expect to deposit the same to your credit at Z.C.M.I. within a few days as you directed.”⁸

 ————————          

1. “A Little History Behind Arizona’s Early Mormon Missions” (Arizona Oddities, Excerpt from Arizoniana by Marshall Trimble, Arizona State Historian, 6 September 2010) accessed 1 February 2022, https://arizonaoddities.com/2010/09/a‑little‑history‑behind‑arizonas‑early‑mormon‑missions/
2. Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender, The Life of Daniel H. Wells (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016), page 349.
3. Daniel H. Wells with Erastus Snow and Brigham Young, Jr., letter to Brigham Young, 26 May 1876, Brigham Young Letters, Box 43, folder 20, Church History Department, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City.
4. Bryant S. Hinckley, Daniel Hanmer Wells and Events of His Time, (Salt Lake City: The Deseret News Press, 1942), page 305.
5. The History of Lorenzo Wesley Roundy, Chapter 10, Archie Earl Buchanan / Florene Davis Family Organization Web Pages, Histories, accessed 1 February 2022, http://aeb.buchananspot.com/histories/LWR/LWR_Ch10.html.
6. Daniel H. Wells with Erastus Snow and Brigham Young, Jr., letter to Brigham Young, 26 May 1876.
7. Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender, The Life of Daniel H. Wells, pages 351-2.
8. Leonard J. Arrington, Brigham Young, American Moses, (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1985), page 391.

by

Quentin Thomas Wells

Reprinted by permission from the Ensign, July 1995

 My letter to my parents had been the work of only an hour or two, but I saw that its value was beyond price.

 I knew what it was the moment I saw it lying there, precisely folded in half at the back of the loose‑leaf notebook. It looked a little out of place. The writing was more careless than the firm, precise style on my mother’s neat genealogy papers. She had been dead for more than seven years, and only now had I found time to review the last pages of her research into our family history.

 I had no way of knowing how long the letter had lain untouched in her binder. Perhaps she had placed it there the day she received it. I wondered how often she read it as she pursued her family history research in the library.

 I opened the pages, so stiff with age and disuse that they threatened to crack at the fold when I flattened them. As I read the blurred words, the memory flooded back.

 My parents were formal, dignified people—Victorian in the best sense of that term—born several years too late to fully belong to their era. For them, love was understood but rarely expressed publicly. They embraced upon meeting and kissed one another good‑bye, but that was the only display of affection they indulged.

 I never observed them holding hands. They sat at opposite ends of the dining table. Their conversation was always lively but tended toward business, politics, family, and religion. They hardly ever openly discussed their feelings for one another. Perhaps they were in love more deeply than words could express.

 “I love you” was felt in our home but went unspoken. I was sure that my parents loved me, though I had no affirmed statement to rely upon. It never occurred to me that I needed one. As they loved me, so I loved them; but raised in their pattern, I was too like them not to have great difficulty expressing my feelings. I could shake my father’s hand or hug my mother as I rushed out of the door, but words of love and affection came hard.

 They did all for me: guided, provided, and inspired. They paid for my mission, my college education, my social life. They fed me physically, intellectually, and spiritually. They encouraged me, prayed for me, worried for me, and wept for me. At last, when I was reasonably prepared, they set me free.

 By the time I left home to accept a new job and marry a woman whose worth my parents knew better than I, I still had not repaid them for their loving concern for me. Worse, I had not been very grateful for their years of giving, and I had said very little over the years of my love for them.

 That realization came suddenly. I was living in Washington, D.C., working in a government job that carried some degree of risk. My parents were far away, growing older, more frail, and ill with heart disease, cataracts, and arthritis. I read each letter from them with a growing dread that they would soon be gone.

 The death of a close friend at work brought home the reality of my parents’ mortality. They could die soon, and I feared that they didn’t know of my love for them, because I had never told them. I didn’t know how to tell them.  But I couldn’t let them slip into eternity without so much as a “thank you” or an “I love you.”

 As I lifted the telephone receiver time after time to call, I could only ask helplessly how they were, pass the time, discuss the weather and family, and then hang up. I hoped they knew what I really meant, but I feared they didn’t.

 I wrote the letter after one of those calls. Originally, I set out to write down the things I wanted to say so that during my next call I could read my list, if necessary, to express my affection. As I wrote, the words seemed to flow easily onto the paper. The letter took life of itself. I could imagine my mother and father reading quietly without having to respond verbally to what I had written. That seemed more their way. They would find it easier to be at ease, and for that reason so did I while writing to them. All the things so difficult to say were so simple to write.

 It wasn’t an epic letter. It contained only the ordinary feelings of a grown son for parents who had made him much of what he was. I loved them. I appreciated their sacrifices for me, their guidance, their reassurance, their faith to lean on until I found my own. I remembered the good times, bad times, joyful times, hard times. I laughed and cried as I wrote. I finally told them all that I had desired to tell them.

 I almost didn’t mail the letter. It seemed silly and sentimental when I reviewed it. They would wonder what was wrong with me. They would worry. I scribbled a postscript in explanation. I told them everything was fine and that I had written because it was hard for me to say the words. I hoped that they would understand. I then stuffed the sheets in a hastily addressed envelope and dropped it in the mail.

 My father died four years later. Four years after that, my mother followed him. I had returned home to help each of them through their final days. Their final months were long and painful, but at least I was with them at the end.

 They never mentioned the letter, and I never found any occasion to bring it up or to repeat its sentiments. Only my presence and efforts to help them conveyed my feelings. I forgot the letter, and I thought they had too.

 But here it was—preserved in the book my mother used three times a week. She had kept it, like a talisman, near at hand where she could touch it often. Perhaps she never read it again, but it was with her, a constant companion when I was gone.

 I scanned through the words on the pages, knowing that the thoughts they expressed were no easier for me to say now than they had been when I wrote them. One sheet appeared to be missing. From faded memory, I tried to recall its contents. When I remembered, the reason for the page’s absence became clear. It was the page on which I had told my father how much his example had meant to me, how I had valued his strength, understood at least somewhat the terrible struggles of his life, and often followed his counsel, though he might not have always thought so.

 I never found that page, but I was sure my father had treasured it. Like my mother, he never told me how much it meant to him. But I knew, just as I know that faith, love, and obedience will unite us again. The eternal bond we share is secure.

 I held the letter for a long time, much as my mother and father might have done years before, letting it pull me closer to them in spirit. It had been the work of only an hour or two, but I saw now that its value was beyond price. And I was very glad I had written it.

 Gospel topics: communication, family, love

 [illustration] Illustrated by Keith Larson

© 2000 Intellectual Reserve, Inc.

All rights reserved.

Buying a New Lease on Life

Have hounding creditors, ex-wives or parole officers left you fed up, beaten down and tapped out?  Do you dream about chucking it all and starting all over again? Just $2,500 will bring you peace of mind and a totally different identity.

Article by Quentin T. Wells

(Published May 1984 in Chic Magazine. Reprinted by permission.)

 Peter Davis is 31 years old, a senior computer programmer in Los Angeles and earns $38,000 a year.  He’s also $180,000 in debt. In addition to paying heavy alimony to an ex‑wife he hates, he’s wildly humping a foxy girl he can’t afford to keep. All of his credit cards are maxed, and there’s no hope of paying them off – even if he gave up eating.

He’s refinanced his debts for years, but now he’s out of credit and down to his last few thousand in borrowed cash. When that’s gone. he’ll be down the tubes. His alimony payments will continue, but he may lose his job, and he’ll certainly lose Angie. That’s going to hurt. She’s the only part of his life that he likes.

Peter’s under the kind of stress that drives up the suicide rate. He’s not a criminal or a deadbeat, but he’s facing a situation he can’t handle. The light at the end of the tunnel is the headlight of a train bearing down on him.

Sometimes it seems like reincarnation is his only hope. He needs to be someone else for a while – maybe permanently. And that’s precisely what he’s planning. He’s leaving all the unwanted baggage of his past and taking only his accumulated assets: education, experience and cash. He’ll disappear and then reappear in a new place as a new person with a new life,

Thousands of Americans change their identities each year or use more than one as the occasion demands.  And most don’t follow courtroom procedures to do so, since they don’t want their old name traceable to their new one. An unofficial new identity isn’t entirely legal, but it’s easy to establish if you know how.

The hardest part is obtaining the documentation to go with the name: birth certificate, driver’s license, Social Security number, passport, education credits and job references. A competent amateur can devise the means of getting hold of these, but a cash payment to a professional is faster and surer.

In L.A., Peter Davis was introduced to Paul Rossi (not his real name) by a friend who knew that Davis had problems.  Rossi’s card identifies him as a “personal counselor,” but the service he actually offers is, quite literally, “name dropping.”

For $2,500 per person he provides his clients with a completely documented new identity and helps establish them as different people in new environments. He also ensures that no trail remains to connect their flawed pasts with their unblemished futures.

Until talking to Rossi, Davis hadn’t thought of escaping permanently from his debts and his ex-wife, but the more he considered the idea, the better it looked. As his finances continued to worsen, he finally decided to go for it.

On May 2, 1983, using money borrowed from his life insurance (which would soon be useless to him anyway) he. gave Rossi $2,500 and selected the name Michael Morgan for himself. Rossi would supply all the other data on his birth certificate. He told Davis this was to prevent any similarity to his real background, but it actually made Rossi’s job easier. With only a name to match, he would have less difficulty locating a suitable document. His client could then simply adopt the Other information on it as part of his new identity,

The birth certificate took several weeks to obtain. Davis set July I as the date for his change. Meanwhile, Rossi instructed him to live normally and convert as many assets as possible to cash. He could then sell them or borrow against them and allow the collateral to be forfeited when he didn’t repay. He could take with him only cash and personal possessions that had no traceable titles.

Davis also decided to take along Angie, despite Rossi’s objections that she could compromise him later if their affair cooled. Since several friends knew them to be lovers, she would have to leave separately sometime after his disappearance to avoid suspicion.

To get a birth certificate, the most basic document Davis needed, Rossi used the simple approach. He rented a postoffice box in his own name and listed Michael Morgan as an additional user who would receive mail at the address.

The directory section of the Los Angeles library provided him with a nationwide list of nearly 50 Michael Morgans and their telephone numbers. The next evening he called each of them. Posing as a marketing surveyor for men’s products, he asked to speak with the male head of each household. Since he already knew who he was speaking to, he didn’t ask for their names, only age range, income, race and opinion on a few common items. Fifty one‑minute calls netted him four prospects who matched the age and race requirements of Peter Davis.

Three days later he called all four again during the day, hoping to speak with their wives or girlfriends rather than the men he had contacted earlier. This time he posed as a lawyer trying to locate a Michael Morgan named in an estate. Rossi was a clever phone solicitor, and the lure of inherited wealth loosened every tongue. He had no difficulty eliciting the information that he required about each prospect: full name, birth date, birthplace and parents’ names.

He selected the most appropriate Michael Morgan and ordered several copies of his birth certificate from the department of vital statistics from the state in which Morgan was born. Rossi provided complete information (name date and place of birth, parents’ names), paid for the certificate with a money order purchased by Michael Morgan, and requested that it be sent to Morgan at the post office box address.

The fact that Davis’s new birth certificate belonged to another living person who was also using it, didn’t rouble Rossi in the least. There was no way to prove, at a distance, who was the true owner.  All birth certificates are local documents.  They contain no fingerprints and the footprints used sometimes can’t be traced to an adult. There was nothing in the document that couldn’t apply equally well to Davis as to the real Morgan.

Only people who knew Michael Morgan could connect him to his birth data. Davis was far enough removed from them in distance to use his birth certificate without fear of detection. Even a chance contact with a relative or friend of the real Michael Morgan could be passed off as coincidence caused by a common name. Few people would ever see the certificate and none would retain a copy of it.

With the birth certificate to support his application. Davis requested a library card. Rossi, who was already a cardholder, identified him as Morgan. He received his card without difficulty.

His next acquisition was a Social Security number. He showed both his birth certificate and library for identification explaining his previous lack of a number by stating that he had lived and worked out of the country all of his adult life.  His story raised a few eyebrows, but the federal worker who took his application had no reasonable grounds for refusing it.  A Social Security number is not regarded as an identification document although the number on it is routinely used as such by the government and other institutions.  Michael Morgan’s card was duly issued to Davis.

Now it was easy to obtain other identification papers.  He opened a checking account and applied for a credit card at a savings and loan company, again explaining that he had lived and worked abroad and had no local credit. A card secured by savings was the obvious answer, the loan officer assured him. A non-withdrawable $1,000 deposit got him a guarantee card for his account with a $500 limit.

At Rossi’s suggestion, Davis traveled to Oregon and applied for a driver’s license. His identification was routinely accepted there since Oregon, unlike most states. doesn’t require the surrender of a previous license to obtain a new one if the applicant simply claims that he’s never had a license before.

Rossi altered a certified copy of Davis’s college transcripts to reflect his new vital data. He covered the original biographic material with correction fluid, substituted new information and made high quality photocopies that camouflaged the alterations and were virtually indistinguishable from the real thing.

The name dropper cautioned Davis to use these only where he was certain they would be accepted at face value and not checked at the source.  Davis’s occupation as a computer programmer isn’t one in which personal security checks are emphasized. Most educational claims are accepted without question so Rossi had no reason to bother changing the original records at the school.

Finally, Rossi helped Davis construct a plausible resume. which he could use to get a new job. The work experience stated was real. But the firms listed were fictitious. All but his last employer were described as having gone out of business. merged with larger companies or moved to different locations so that verifying any except the latest would be difficult.

Davis’s most recent job was listed as lead programmer for a special‑projects group of a very prestigious computer firm, It was located. The resume stated, apart from other divisions of the company and had little connection with them because it performed highly classified government research. Davis’s supervisor was named. along with a number at which he could be contacted. This number reached a phone in Rossi’s office, where he or an associate would “backstop” the cover story using data provided by Davis.

At the beginning of June, Davis gave notice at his job and advised his landlord that he was moving. He told friends that he had accepted a job in Florida. gave details about it and promised to stay in touch. He had his mail forwarded to a post office box in Orlando that he didn’t rent, but one that the postal service would normally deliver to anyway. This would throw bill collectors off his scent. He knew they would be looking for him, because he had paid no debts during the previous two months. There was no point in making payments on a soon‑to-be‑dead horse and he could use the money later.

On a Saturday morning Peter and Angie packed up the truck that she had rented and quietly departed. His past existence ended in the candle flame that destroyed all of his identification documents soon after he and Angie drove away.

The following morning “Michael Morgan” moved into a studio apartment in Phoenix. Arizona. Angie drove the truck back to Los Angeles so that it couldn’t be traced to their destination. She would join him in a month. Meanwhile, Morgan took his impressive credentials and went job hunting. He had $17,000 in cash and not a care on earth. He had just been reborn.

The FBI has no data on the number of people who adopt a false identity because to so isn’t a crime. Like writers and movie stars, you can use any name you choose as long as you aren’t doing so for illegal purposes. However, using forged documents, or real ones that don’t belong to you, may be a crime: it depends on how you got them and how you use them. If you’re careful about the latter, no one is likely to trouble you about the former.

There are no reliable statistics on the number of adults reported missing annually either, since being missing is also not a crime. Bill collectors or an ex-wife may look for you, but the police won’t‑unless they believe you’ve been kidnapped or were the victim of another crime. A few missing persons do become victims, and a few more suffer fatal accidents while alone in remote areas. But most simply disappear and are not heard from again by families or friends. They leave behind a lot of angry creditors and lawsuits, but apart from collection agencies, no one seriously searches for them. They may number 40,000 per year.

Criminals find it harder than the average citizen to establish a false identity because they lack the legal and financial base from which to start. They can’t use their present identity to acquire documentation for a new one. While fugitives often use aliases, their efforts are generally haphazard and rarely successful for any length of time. Their documents are usually counterfeits or stolen that seldom withstand close scrutiny, or credit cards and other forms of identification that are readily traced to the real owners.

Most importantly, anyone with an arrest record has been fingerprinted and fingerprints are the only certain means of tracing an adult. Anyone can be linked to the name under which he was first filed, and all subsequent aliases can be recorded to it. The authorities may not be able to find out who you really are, but they’ll easily connect vou to all the names that were attached to your fingerprints.

Arrest is the kiss of death for a false identity. A careful background investigation will almost always unravel a cover story. The police can turn up relatives or friends of the person you claim to be, or worse, produce your name’s true owner in the flesh. Documentation won’t stand up such evidence. Once fingered, figuratively and literally, you’re marked for life.

Law‑enforcement officials know this and would like to have fingerprints for everyone. Most people, however, especially women, haven’t been fingerprinted and won’t volunteer for the procedure. The more than 50 million fingerprint records at the FBI’s Washington, D.C. headquarters represent less than a quarter of the present U.S. population and many of those on file are now dead.

The majority of people who adopt new identities, however, are not criminals. If they’re careful to leave no connection between their old selves and the person they become, they’re rarely troubled by any investigation. Even if they’ve been fingerprinted, only another arrest will connect their current and past identities. If they live normally and pay their bills, their freedom will never be threatened.

The ease with which a false identity can be acquired is a concern to law‑enforcement officials, but little is being done to prevent it. Even a U.S. passport can be secured with no more documentation than someone else’s birth certificate and a false driver’s license or credit card.

A massive number of vital records, credit histories. directories and name lists, as well as incalculable federal, state and local government files, are kept on nearly every American. Despite this avalanche of information, however, it’s never been easier to adopt a new identity and live with it safely. The future looks even brighter for the name changers.

One major reason is the size and diversity of the population: 230 million straws make a sizable haystack in which to hide.  Mobility is also a factor.  Massive population shifts make moving a normal activity. Newcomers to a community are far more likely to be ignored than to arouse suspicion. Backgrounds are rarely questioned, and a newfound friend or chance acquaintance is likely to take you at face value, two‑sided as it may be.

It took the electronic age to make documentation of false identities easy. The computerized society has assigned numbers to keep track of us and our affairs. but the effect has been the opposite. A glance at history explains why.

Until this century most people lived in compact communities where family and friends recognized them by sight. They acquired credit with a firm handshake and a steady gaze, and their accounts extended no further than the counters of merchants who knew them personally. Years were required to build a reputation after moving to a new location. People dealt with their neighbors face to face. They lived and died together. The only written testimony that they read of one another was an obituary.

Today our records are national and numerical. Show a digitized card, and you’re instantly acknowledged from coast to coast, or at least the number is. No one looks beyond the plastic or paper. If you have the document, you automatically possess all of the privileges that go with it.

There’s little investigation into how identification is obtained or whether or not the person using it is the true owner.  A bank’s computer terminal verifies your account number.  An electronic cash register accepts your charge card. Machines, not men, do the identifying. And they identify only the number, not the user. Big Brother may be watching you in 1984. But he has no war of knowing who he’s really looking at.

As Peter Davis’s experience demonstrates, getting a false birth certificate is simple. With that document, an identity portfolio can be easily assembled. Transferred to a distant location that forestalls encounters with witness identification, it becomes almost impossible to prove phony. You can literally change your identity annually, keep a new set of documents handy in case of sudden need, or use several names simultaneously to fit the requirements of the moment.

A couple of successful examples and one that failed illustrate the point:

Roberto Hernandez (not his real name) was born in Mexico and entered the United States illegally for the first time when he was 16. He was caught and deponed within a month, tried once more a year later and was again deported within a few weeks. By then, Hernandez was street-smart enough to know that the only way to be safe in America was to have been born there. He spent the first days of his third trip across the border arranging for a change of birthplace.

Hie didn’t acquire a new name; his own was common enough. He simply located another Roberto Hernandez living in Laredo, Texas, who was about his own age. He then made direct contact with his namesake, struck up a friendship and managed to learn enough about him to assume his identity.

With a birth certificate obtained from the Texas Bureau of Vital Statistics, Roberto hitchhiked north to Chicago. He had little money and not much education, but his English was reasonably good and he had a passport to the promised land. He was an instant American citizen.

Four years after his arrival Roberto is well‑established in his new life. He has a job on a highway‑repair crew, a wife and a two‑year‑old daughter. He also has good credit. an Illinois driver’s license and even a high‑school graduation certificate. All were legitimately obtained by using his Texas identification.

Although he’s never been questioned about his past and feels comfortable where he resides, Roberto’s success hasn’t been without cost. “I can’t go home,” he said, “or even near the border in Texas where my family could visit me.  Somebody there might know me.”

He’s trying to help his parents enter the U.S., but they don’t know his address. “They write to me at a post‑office box that brlomhs to a friend of mine,” he explained. “It’s safer that way. If anyone asks where I am, they don’t have to lie.  They don’t know. Maybe someday I’ll go back to Mexico for a visit. But I don’t know. I like it here too much to take a chance.”

“In 1981 Sally Andrews applied for a counseling posilion in a Washington, D.C., drug‑rehabilitation center. She had all the qualifications for the job: a master’s degree in sociology, leaching experience and a real desire to help people. Unfortunately, she also had a police record that included a single drug‑related offense. She had tried cocaine only that one time‑more as an experiment than anything, but the party had been raided while she had it in her possession. She pled guilty, paid the fine, served probation and put the incidem behind her. But a year later it cost her the job she, wanted, and Sally realized that it would continue to deny her serious consideration for any similar position for years, maybe for life. It wasn’t fair, but it was fact.

So she moved Philadelphia and again applied for a counseling job. This time the name on her file was Susan Anthony. She had the same background credentials and the same education, but totally new identification, which she purchased from a name dropper. Yet even with her past mistake erased from the record, it wasn’t easy to pull off the deception.

“I was scan:d to death they’d catch on,” she told RISK “My ID was all foolproof, but the school records were what really worried me, 1 had altered copies of the transcripts, but 1 didn’t know what they’d find out if they contacted the university.”

No inquiry was made to the school, and Andrews was hired. She later backstopped her educational credits by obtaining a legal name change and requesting that the school records be permanently altered to reflect it. But there were also a few other problems.

“I didn’t want to lose touch with my family,” she said. “Even though they lived in another state, it was hard at first to explain what I’d done. They don’t know about my drug problem, and 1 didn’t want them to. I told them I changed my name to avoid confusion with someone else who had a criminal record. It was a weak excuse, but they seemed to accept it.

“I also had trouble keeping dates straight. My new ID documents show parents’ names, date of birth and Other facts different from my own. People 1 met after my change, especially men I date, know me with the new data, which I use all the time now. They sometimes wonder why I’m a little confused about my own birthday and why none of my family seems to remember it. I also have to watch what I tell them about my background so that the past me and the present me don’t get mixed up.  If I fall in love with a guy and take him home to meet Mom and Dad, things may get very complicated.”

Bill Walters was a Phoenix stockbroker with no future. He had become involved in the sale of a fraudulent stock issue and to avoid prosecution on criminal charges, had accepted a Securities and Exchange Commission consent decree that barred him from further dealings in the securities business. Walters saw an identity change as the ideal way to continue enjoying the assets of his profession without taking along the liabilities that he had accumulated. He made arrangements with a consultant for the necessary paperwork and prepared to move to Las Vegas.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t resist what he saw as a rare opportunity to make a final killing. During the last week before his departure Walters overextended every charge account he had. He also obtained several loans using the same collateral for each one, and finally he wrote thousands of dollars in bad checks, using his guarantee card to back them.

That was his first error. His second was to brag to a few close friends about what he was doing and to promise to get in touch with them when he was relocated.

Walters gave the police a very good reason to look for him in earnest and a probable means of finding him. They were quick to capitalize on his carelessness. When he called a friend and told her that he could be reached at a certain phone number during working hours, the authorities were waiting for him. The “friend” received a substantial reward put up by Walters’s victims. The police traced the phone number that she had provided them and arrested him within 24 hours.

Despite the failure of people like Bill Walters, who attempt to use an identity change for criminal gain, many others want only to restart their lives with a clean slate.

Transsexuals regularly use the technique to separate from their former gender without the embarrassment or publicity of a court proceeding. New identification is the final procedure that completes the surgical process.

Polygamists maintain multiple families, each under a different name, and avoid prosecution for what is still a criminal offense. Each family also qualifies for full government social benefits and services.

A number of the wealthy pay no taxes. Some of them conceal their assets and their incomes in the names of person who exist only on paper. The taxes evaded through these fictitious identities are in the millions.

There are many who find a false identity profitable and readily obtainable: Those who feel uneasy with their new aliases in America live abroad, where the chance of inquiry about them is more remote, and the possibility, of meeting their namesakes’ acquaintances is negligible.

Changing your identity requires sacrifices. It takes determination to abandon family and friends, or firm self‑discipline to deceive them, bur there are compensations. It’s intriguing to realize that 60 days from today you could be someone else with only the company and posses sions you choose to take along.

A more chilling thought derives from the old belief that everyone has a double somewhere. Whoever it is may not look like you at all, but then he doesn’t have to. No one’s going to check his face. Only the numbers on his birth certificate, driver’ license and credit cards can accurately establish his identity. And every rime he displays these proofs of his sterling character, a faceless computer will conclude with invincible logic that he is you.

by

Quentin Thomas Wells

An article shouldn’t be titled with a question, but this one must because the question is the point of the essay. I don’t have Cindy’s permission to write about her, so I won’t use her surname, but all the other facts about her situation are accurate.

 Cindy was born in El Paso, Texas in 1984. Her mother, Lourdes, was 17 at the time of her birth and had come into the U.S. From Mexico the year before.  Her father, Victor, was also a Mexican national from a wealthy family and was living temporarily but legally in the U.S.  Victor was in his late 20’s and married with several children at the time of his brief affair with Lourdes. He acknowledged her child as his offspring and provided some support for Lourdes during her pregnancy.

 That support ended when Victor was killed shortly after Cindy’s birth. Lourdes was informed after the fact that he died in a hunting accident in northern Mexico, but rumors also circulated that his death resulted from a gunfight in connection with drugs or a kidnapping. In either case, his demise ended all support for Lourdes and she could no longer afford the medical care Victor had financed.

 Cindy was born prematurely in a medical clinic and her birth was attended by a physician.  She immediately developed respiratory distress (eventually leading to asthma which she still has) and the attending doctor strongly advised transferring her to a hospital.  Her mother, fearing deportation, fled taking Cindy with her and preventing the doctor from making the transfer or recording the birth. Since failure to report a live birth is a felony in Texas, the attending doctor was left in an untenable position and it is virtually certain that all records of Cindy and her mother presence at the clinic were destroyed.

 Cindy’s paternal grandfather, a multi‑millionaire resort and hotel owner, offered to provide for her and her mother if Lourdes would become his mistress. She declined his offer, but realizing that he would exert strong pressure on her to reconsider, she left Texas and moved to San Diego less than a year after Cindy’s arrival. In California, she met Luis, a childhood friend from her hometown, who had legally immigrated several years earlier with help from relatives already in the U.S. They eventually married and over the next ten years had five sons, all born in San Diego.

 Lourdes’ children are all U.S. Citizens, but she is not.  Luis, though he was a legal resident, did not become a citizen and did nothing to assist his wife in gaining legal status.  Her undocumented status helped him maintain control over her by threats to have her deported if she revealed any of his abusive or criminal activities.  In this state of mutual animosity, their relationship continued for eleven years.  Cindy and her younger brothers attended schools and the Catholic church in San Diego.  In 1994, Lourdes and Cindy joined the LDS Church after being taught by missionaries.  Luis wanted nothing to do with the Mormons and would not permit any of his sons to attend or join this church.

 When Cindy turned twelve, Luis began to sexually molest her. Within a short time she told her mother and Lourdes immediately separated from her husband. To keep him away from Cindy, she fled to Salt Lake City taking her children with her. Luis eventually followed her to Utah, but she filed for divorce before he could compel her return or resume the abuse of his stepdaughter. Their divorce became final in 1998, but due to Lourdes’ legal status and resulting perilous financial condition, Luis was granted custody of all the boys while she was given custody of Cindy.

 Lourdes managed to obtain a temporary work permit and a job. She supported Cindy until her daughter turned 18.  After that, Cindy became the principle support of the entire family, Luis having given his sons back to Lourdes while retaining custody of them on paper for tax purposes.

 But Cindy cannot legally support her family or even herself.  According to the Constitution, she is, by reason of her birth place, a U.S. citizen, but according to the law she is not.  She has no birth certificate nor other proof of her birth and without it she does not exist as a legal person. 

 With help from friends, Cindy has tried for more than a dozen years to establish her identify and obtain documentation of her birth and citizenship birthright.  But state and federal laws have forestalled her at every turn.  She has lived her entire life in the U.S., but under the law she can never obtain legal status here.  She cannot get an identity document, a social security number, or a driver’s license.  Without these she cannot get a job, open a bank account, travel on commercial transportation, or obtain any government services.  She is not an illegal immigrant.  She has committed no crime.  She simply does not exist in legal terms, which makes it very difficult for her to exist in reality.

 So what shall we do with Cindy?  There are several options. 

 1. Shoot her. She’s an undesirable, like the Jews, Gypsies, socialists, and mentally disabled in pre-World War II Europe.  She does not exist under the law and is not entitled to its protection.  Society will be better off without her.

 2. Deport her to any country that will take her. This might be difficult since most countries will take back only their own people as deportees, but Liberia is a possibility.  That nation still accepts freed slaves regardless of their origin.

 3. Do nothing and let the problem solve itself. Since Cindy is unable to earn her living legally or get any assistance, she will eventually starve or, more likely, commit a crime to keep from starving.  At that point the government will acknowledge her existence and begin supporting her at taxpayer expense in prison.

 4. Change the law to acknowledge Cindy’s existence and her rights as a U.S. citizen.

The right thing to do is obvious, but Cindy cannot do it and, to date, those who can have been manifestly unwilling to do so. 

 Cindy is now 26 and lives hand-to-mouth on the street in America’s vast underground economy.  She works for whoever will pay her in cash without requiring proof of identity.  No job lasts more than a few days lest her employer be cited by the government and fined for hiring her.  She cannot attend college and, if she could, a degree would do little to enhance her earning power.  No one pays even minimum wages to someone who has no right to be working at all.

 Cindy is an adult member of a growing underclass of disenfranchised people in America.  There are thousands like her with denied birthrights and between 3 and 4 million who live a similar undocumented existence  because their parents brought them to America as children.  Like Cindy, they had no say in the circumstances of their birth or their arrival here, but they live with the consequences.  Their numbers, their desperation and their anger increase daily.

 What shall we do with Cindy?