Orson Mozes
ke...@adoptaip.com
foreign adoption, Adoption International Program is a wonderful agency
to use. They are extremely helpful throughout the adoption process. The
rates are fair and their staff is extremely helpful. I would recommend
calling Orson Mozes with all your foreign adoption needs.
J.
I'll have a matched set to go, with a side of orphans.
Thanks.
J.
Kathy
And you are whom? Mrs.Orson Mozes?
Kathy
Steve White
"Kathy" <Meag...@aol.com> wrote:
It's the mister.
steve
Kathy
Kathy
>
> steve
Dad
endorsement <snark>. Not everyone has such a high opinion of your
director. Google is definitely not your friend.
Dad
http://www.frua.org/discus/messages/1592/13843.html?1124920183
San Antonio Express-News
October 28, 2001
Adoption exec leaves legacy of complaints
Concern is growing over poorly regulated foreign adoption programs.
Author: Paul Cristian Radu; EXPRESS-NEWS STAFF WRITER
Edition: Metro
Section: Metro / South Texas
Page: 1B
A San Antonio adoption agency has handled hundreds of foreign adoptions
since the Iron Curtain fell a decade ago, saving children who were
abandoned in decrepit orphanages and helping families adopt children in
Eastern Europe.
But the agency, Adoption Services Associates, also became involved in
the same problems that caused the Romanian government to suspend
foreign adoptions this summer.
In a lawsuit filed in March, the nonprofit agency accuses its former
director of international adoptions of failing to disclose medical
problems of children to adoptive couples, mistreating and threatening
prospective parents, separating siblings without informing the adoptive
parents, and costing the agency $300,000 in damages.
During three years, according to the lawsuit, Adoption Services
Associates "received at least one complaint a week, every week,
calculating to approximately 156 complaints," against the international
adoption director, Orson Mozes.
Mozes, one of the leading brokers of foreign adoptions in the United
States, handled foreign adoptions for ASA for 10 years before agency
director Linda Zuflacht fired him in March. Based in Santa Barbara,
Calif., Mozes continues to coordinate foreign adoptions as the
international director of Life Adoptions International.
Mozes declined to respond to Zuflacht's charges in several requests for
an interview. He referred questions to his lawyer, who also declined to
respond.
Zuflacht, a San Antonio lawyer who founded Adoptions Services
Associates in 1984, said her agency has arranged about 1,000 adoptions
from Romania and Russia for U.S. parents, including some in San
Antonio, since the early 1990s.
The number of foreign adoptions in San Antonio is unclear, since no
single U.S. government agency regulates international adoptions. But
Sue Hall of San Antonio, who belongs to a Russian adoption support
group, said 150 to 200 local families have adopted foreign children,
with most coming from Russia and Romania.
The falling-out between Adoption Services Associates and Mozes reflects
the growing international concern over poorly regulated adoption
programs in Eastern Europe and the brokers involved in the industry.
Since the fall of the Soviet Union a decade ago, the number of orphans
adopted every year from Eastern Europe has more than doubled, to more
than 16,000 annually, according to the State Department. Most of the
adoptions are successful and pair needy children with U.S. parents who
often are compelled to rescue orphans from filthy, crowded facilities
where toddlers sometimes are tethered to cribs by overworked
caregivers.
But problems with brokers and corrupt orphanage directors have been
widespread. The Romanian government has suspended foreign adoptions
several times, with the latest suspension in June after a scathing
international report was issued.
In her report, Baroness Emma Nicholson, the European Parliament's
special envoy for Romania, accused that country's adoption system of
"persistent abandonment of children, child abuse and neglect and child
trafficking." She complained of endemic corruption in the system, and
expressed concern for 240 Romanian orphans who could not be traced.
Three weeks after the report, the Romanian police directorate for
organized crime said elements of the adoption industry were run by
criminals who pocketed donations intended to improve orphanages. In one
case, police charged the "My Child" program with misusing about
$500,000 donated by several U.S. adoption agencies.
In the Adoption Services lawsuit, Zuflacht said one adoptive couple was
threatening to sue her after adopting three siblings from Russia
through Mozes.
"The three children have a 17-year-old sister who was left behind in
Russia. The older sister was viewed as a parental figure to the three
younger children. The adoptive couple claims (Mozes) was aware of the
older sister and proceeded with the adoption and subsequent separation
of the children without advising them," the suit claims. "This
separation has caused the three children to be hostile and violent with
the couple."
The parents wanted the three children removed from their home,
according to the lawsuit, contributing to the growing problem of
disrupted adoptions from Eastern Europe.
>From 1994 to July 2001, U.S. parents returned at least 136 children
adopted from overseas because of problems with the children, according
to figures compiled by Tressler Lutheran Services, a leading U.S.
adoption group. Most of the children in failed adoptions came from
Russia and Romania.
Zuflacht says in her complaint that adoptive couples spend $10,000 to
$12,000 in countries where they are adopting children to cover legal
work, government fees, drivers, translators and gifts to orphanages. On
top of that, Mozes received $7,000 per placement, and parents paid
Adoption Services Associates $1,750 or $3,500 in fees, depending on the
age and needs of the adopted child.
Zuflacht said the money parents spent overseas disappeared without an
accounting from Mozes.
"Without such an accounting, ASA is unable to verify whether these cash
amounts are being spent to further adoptions and help the orphanages,
or whether it is taken by Defendant," the lawsuit says.
According to Romanian and Russian laws, the only fees required for an
adoption are document fees. Agencies usually also make direct donations
to orphanages. Translators and drivers are paid according to the local
standards of the countries, where the average monthly salary is less
than $200.
Financial records on file with the Internal Revenue Service do not show
any gifts or donations made to orphanages by Adoptions Services
Associates between 1997 and 1999. As a nonprofit organization, ASA is
required to make the records available to the public.
The financial reports show ASA earned $1.79 million to $1.97 million a
year between 1997 and 1999. As the executive director, Zuflacht earned
between $70,000 and $158,000 a year for running the agency and
providing legal services to adoptive parents.
Mozes has been affiliated with foreign adoptions for more than a
decade. He was mentioned in a December 1990 Los Angeles Times article
about planning to escort couples to Romania to adopt children.
At the time, he worked through the Romanian Club of Santa Monica,
Calif. Later, the Romanian Club became a Russian Club and Mozes started
doing adoptions from Russia when Romania imposed its first moratorium
on foreign adoptions.
In 1996, Mozes and Adoption Services Associates were temporarily banned
from performing adoptions in Romania, according to a former Romanian
Adoption Committee official who asked to remain anonymous.
The former official said Mozes tried to adopt a Romanian orphan for a
Mexican couple, which was illegal because Mozes was working for a U.S.
agency and Mexico is a "children donor" country like Romania. Parents
in children donor countries are not supposed to adopt foreign children,
because the countries already are overburdened with orphans awaiting
adoption.
Several parents contacted by the San Antonio Express-News said they had
complaints about their experience with Mozes and Adoption Services
Associates, but they asked to remain anonymous out of concern for their
children.
One woman said she and her husband tried to adopt a Russian girl
through Mozes this year after seeing the girl's picture on Mozes' Web
site.
"Before I dialed the phone I prayed, 'Lord, make it clear if we are to
work with this agency.' My hands shook as I dialed the phone. I was
calling to say, 'Yes, she is our daughter.'
"Before I even finished getting the words out of my mouth, this man -
the agency director - demanded that we immediately Federal Express
three checks to three separate addresses totaling a very large amount
of money if we wanted them to hold this child for us," the woman wrote
in a lengthy Internet message, which she verified in a telephone
interview.
"I began to question him about the large amount of money (that we
didn't have) and the three separate addresses," she said. "He became
irate. He yelled and called me names and his final words were,
'Somebody will pay this much for that little girl!' Slam! He hung up
the phone."
Adoption Services Associates fired Mozes soon after the incident. The
couple said they subsequently had similar problems trying to arrange
the adoption with Zuflacht.
Zuflacht said that, despite problems with Eastern European adoptions,
her business is going well. "I'm thinking that I'd like to have
something to fall back on in case also Russia closes down and there
would be nothing. I'm thinking about Guatemala, where the adoption
process is still simple, and about China: there are tons of girls in
China."
Caption: Linda Zuflacht, seen in her office Thursday, is the director
of a San Antonio adoption agency that specializes in international
placements.GLORIA FERNIZ/STAFF
Memo: Adoption Services Associates director Linda Zuflacht says in her
complaint that adoptive couples spend $10,000 to $12,000 in countries
where they are adopting children to cover legal work, government fees,
drivers, translators and gifts to orphanages. On top of that, former
international adoption director Orson Mozes received $7,000 per
placement, and parents paid Adoption Services Associates $1,750 or
$3,500 in fees, depending on the age and needs of the adopted child.
Zuflacht said the money parents spent overseas disappeared without an
accounting from Mozes.
Dad
uncirculated $100 bills. Please pull up to the next window.
Dad
ke...@adoptaip.com
International Program awhile ago. I have had the chance to talk to a
lot of clients, both current and completed since I started here. I also
work with Orson Mozes every day. I have found that he has many many
happy clients and I have seen first hand how hard he works to help them
complete their families. Not only does he work very hard every day, he
also works in the middle of the night and on weekends. Every time he
needs to leave for even just a weekend, he takes his laptop with him so
that he is constantly in touch and aware of everything that is going on
with his client's adoptions. I have been impressed with how hard he
works and what a big heart he has.
I did research on him and his agency when I first started here and
found that one article that someone posted here. Upon finding it, I did
more research and found that it was written by a newspaper that was in
the same city as his old partner (ASA) and was obviously propaganda she
was using trying to win her lawsuit, which she did not win. In fact,
she no longer does any international adoptions while Adoption
International Program has huge programs in a few different countries. I
found no other negative articles, though I did find a number of
articles about families who successfully adopted with him from 15 years
ago to more recent.
Throughout my research, I found a lot of forums where people seemed to
repost that one article and spread rumors. I found that most of the
people who posted about Orson Mozes or Adoption International Program
were not even clients and didn't actually have anything to do with
the agency but were just repeating something they heard- usually from
that one article. I also saw evidence that many of the negative posts
were posted by people with competitive agencies. I posted here just to
add some positive information to the public forums. Orson is a good
person and doesn't deserve all of this negative press.
Dad
>>Adoption International Program awhile ago.
How long ago? And in what capacity, Kevin? Publicist? Director of
Post Placement Services?
>>I have had the chance to talk to a lot of clients, both current and
>>completed since I started here. I also work with Orson Mozes every
>>day. I have found that he has many many happy clients and I have
>>seen first hand how hard he works to help them complete their families.
>>Not only does he work very hard every day, he also works in the middle
>>of the night and on weekends. Every time he needs to leave for even
>>just a weekend, he takes his laptop with him so that he is constantly
>>in touch and aware of everything that is going on with his client's adoptions.
>>I have been impressed with how hard he works and what a big heart he has.
He works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
He works hard for the money
so you better treat him right
Nine a.m. on the hour hand
and he's waiting for the bell
And he's looking real pretty
just waiting for his clientele
Twenty eight years have
come and gone
And he' seen a lot of tears
of the ones who come in
they really seem to need him there
It's a sacrifice working day to day
for little money just tips for pay
But it's worth it all
just to hear him say that he cares
He'll never sell out
he never will
Not for a dollar bill
he works hard
He works hard for the money
so hard for it honey
He works hard for the money
so you better treat him right
>>I did research on him and his agency when I first started here and
>>found that one article that someone posted here. Upon finding it, I did
>>more research and found that it was written by a newspaper that was in
>>the same city as his old partner (ASA) and was obviously propaganda she
>>was using trying to win her lawsuit, which she did not win. In fact,
>>she no longer does any international adoptions while Adoption
>>International Program has huge programs in a few different countries. I
>>found no other negative articles, though I did find a number of
>>articles about families who successfully adopted with him from 15 years
>>ago to more recent.
>>
>>Throughout my research, I found a lot of forums where people seemed to
>>repost that one article and spread rumors.
Reposted an article: Guilty as charged.
Spread rumors: Nah - the article spoke for itself.
>I found that most of the
>people who posted about Orson Mozes or Adoption International Program
>were not even clients and didn't actually have anything to do with
>the agency but were just repeating something they heard- usually from
>that one article.
Admittedly, I don't know Orson Mozes from Osmosis. He may be the
second coming of Mother Theresa for all I know. I just felt duty bound
to counter what was obviously a fluff post from a paid endorser. Call
me Fox News... Fair and Balanced.
>I also saw evidence that many of the negative posts
>were posted by people with competitive agencies.
"People with competitive agencies." Would that be paid staff
personnel? Or adoptive parents who used an agency other than Orson
Mozes? What makes you any more credible than those "people", Kevin?
>I posted here just to
>add some positive information to the public forums.
Yes, this forum could use more positive information. Successful
adoptive placements are like airplanes that land safely - they don't
get much press around here.
>Orson is a good
>person and doesn't deserve all of this negative press.
I'm glad that you believe in your director, Kevin. One would expect
no less. But what I would like to know is how hard the Orson Mozes
agency works on post-placement services. You know, the ones you offer
your clientelle who are dealing with ODD, FAS, RAD, PTSD and the rest
of the post-placement alphabet. What qualifications must prospective
adoptive parents (PAPs) meet who engage your agency other than their
ability to pay for your services? How many fiscally qualified
candidates do you reject? What training does your clientelle receive
pre- and post-placement? What is your adoption dissolution/disruption
rate? And how does it compare to similar agencies?
One of the most important qualities that PAPs should possess when
interviewing any agency is a healthy dose of skepticism, wouldn't you
agree? I know many parents who have "successfully" adopted
internationally... and a few families who have been brought to their
knees dealing issues like the ones I've mentioned above.
The agency we used (mentioned in the newspaper article) receives a few
calls each month from parents wishing to disrupt their adoptions. The
overwhelming majority of these are from parents who have adopted
children from Russia or eastern Europe. The common theme among most of
these cries for help is that their original agency offers little or no
post-placement help for distressed families. Once the adoption is
finalized and the check clears, it's amazing how few post-placement
services their agencies offer.
I've never heard of your agency, but instead of describing Mr. Mozes'
strong work ethic, I would be interested in your answers to the
questions I've posted above. Thank you in advance for your reply.
Dad
(adoptive father of two special needs children)
Henry Moritz
<whack!>
> Admittedly, I don't know Orson Mozes from Osmosis.
Osmosis....wasn't he the twelfth king of the 16th dynasty? Or wait...was
he the god of the underworld? Man, I'm so bad with names.
Rhiannon
Yeah, know what you mean. Some guy.
Whatever. It's the vast and trunkless legs of stone that get to me.
The sneer and wrinkled lip are neither here nor there.
J.
> Dad
> (adoptive father of two special needs children)
Dad and Henry:
Welcome back, boys. Are you two joined at the hip though separated by
half a continent or is you joint return simply a cosmic coincidence?
Either way, it's a pleasure.
J.
Henry Moritz
Thanks, J. But the real question is: Is Dad my sockpuppet or am I Dad's?
J.
I think we're in an Escher situation, myself.
J.
amalia
with Orson. Twice with the previous agency he was with; this was the
one that sued him and part of the lawsuit was posted on the net. I
wonder who posted it? LOL . I would not go back to them of course. I
know one client that did and they spent a fortune with ASA and then
found Orson and AIP and adopted with Orson. Their story is on his site.
I adopted once with AIP. Most of the negativity on the Internet stems
from when he and his former partner were splitting up. She has not done
more than 3 international adoptions in the past 12 months and Orson is
going gangbusters. I think they are out of business international and I
don't think much of the domestically either. I never talked one time to
Linda Zuflacht the owner or director when I was with them even though I
asked to speak to her. Orson did everything when he was there.
I thought that they would finally be out of business just a matter of
time because he started them in business internationally. In any case I
think the world of him and AIP. I do not care who Orson is with; I know
he will get the job done. He has been doing adoption for 15 years and
you can see all of this on their web site. Call clients up who have
adopted. Talk to the Sapp's check out their blog.
http://www.sappfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/ If you want a child and
that is the bottom line go with someone who gets the job done. I have
said enough. I have 3 miracles and I am the luckiest women in the world
thanks to Orson.
.Check out his success storys
http://www.adoptioninternationalprogram.com/stories/index.htm
Lilmtncbn
amalia wrote:
> Wow ! I am a single Mom and adopted 3 children at three different times
> with Orson.
You might be more successful selling Thigh Masters.
amalia
Rhiannon
> Wow ! I am a single Mom and adopted 3 children at three different times
> with Orson. Twice with the previous agency he was with; this was the
> one that sued him and part of the lawsuit was posted on the net. I
> wonder who posted it? LOL . I would not go back to them of course. I
> know one client that did and they spent a fortune with ASA and then
> found Orson and AIP and adopted with Orson. Their story is on his site.
> I adopted once with AIP. Most of the negativity on the Internet stems
> from when he and his former partner were splitting up.
> She (his former partner) has not done
> more than 3 international adoptions in the past 12 months and Orson is
> going gangbusters.
I'll bet he is.
> I think they are out of business international and I
> don't think much of the domestically either. I never talked one time to
> Linda Zuflacht the owner or director when I was with them even though I
> asked to speak to her. Orson did everything when he was there.
I'll bet he did.
>
> I thought that they would finally be out of business just a matter of
> time because he started them in business internationally. In any case I
> think the world of him and AIP.
> I do not care who Orson is with; I know
> he will get the job done.
Orson sounds as if he has all the attributes required of a good
hit-man.
>He has been doing adoption for 15 years and
> you can see all of this on their web site. Call clients up who have
> adopted. Talk to the Sapp's check out their blog.
> http://www.sappfamilyadoption.blogspot.com/
> If you want a child and
> that is the bottom line go with someone who gets the job done.
Ah so that's what it comes down to, eh? The bottom line?
Scruples to the wind and go with someone who gets the job done,
regardless if how they do it.
"Them that asks no questions never hears no lies.
Watch the wall, my darling, while the Gentlemen go by.""
> I have said enough.
Damn right.
You've said more than enough.
>
> .Check out his success storys
> http://www.adoptioninternationalprogram.com/stories/index.htm
Why're those babies (that baby) at the top of the page moving so fast?
Is that supposed to be an indication of Ozymandias's turnover rate?
Or are they just trying to get away?
Robibnikoff
"Lilmtncbn" <lilm...@aol.com> wrote in message
news:1140364898....@g43g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
:::SPEW!!!:::
Goddamnit, I hate you <goes to clean off monitor> :)
--
------
Robyn
Resident Witchypoo
#1557
Science doesn't burn people at the stake for disagreeing - Vic Sagerquist
Robibnikoff
"amalia" <keytbr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:1140365164.7...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> What is wrong with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that what you do?
We're adoptees! We're all fucked in the head! You didn't know?!?!?!?
Bummer!
Lilmtncbn
Robibnikoff wrote:
> "amalia" <keytbr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1140365164.7...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > What is wrong with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that what you do?
>
> We're adoptees! We're all fucked in the head! You didn't know?!?!?!?
>
> Bummer!
> --
> ------
> Robyn
Just wait. She'll find out soon enough.
Robibnikoff
That's true. How many did she say she had? Three?
Oh dear. A possibly unholy trio ;)
J.
Robibnikoff wrote:
> "amalia" <keytbr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
> news:1140365164.7...@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> > What is wrong with you!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Is that what you do?
>
> We're adoptees! We're all fucked in the head! You didn't know?!?!?!?
>
> Bummer!
> --
I beg your pardon!
Not all of us are adoptees. We just have issues of our own.
J.
SLBe...@gmail.com
never read such hostile comments. Don't know what's going on or why
this group would be so rude to you but, for what it's worth, I agree
with you 100%. Orson is great, my daughter's adoption went smoothly,
his agency's service was great, pre- adoption, during adoption, and
post adoption. It's been 3 years for me, and if I email or call him
with a question, he still gets back to me right away. I would
recommend him (and have) to anyone. Maybe I was lucky, or maybe Orson
really knows what he's doing and is as good as we think he is. S.
Lilmtncbn
Sure. You've never ever ever posted to Usenet and you "accidently"
came across this thread.
Sounds like Orson is really desperate for business.
Dad
never read such hostile comments.>>
Never surf in shark infested waters.
<<Don't know what's going on or why this group would be so rude to
you but, for what it's worth, I agree with you 100%. Orson is great,
my
daughter's adoption went smoothly, his agency's service was great,
>pre- adoption, during adoption, and post adoption.>>
Ok, I'll bite. What post-adoption services did Orson provide you?
<<It's been 3 years for me, and if I email or call him
with a question, he still gets back to me right away.>>
OK, next time email him that your child has ODD, FAS, RAD, and just set
the family pet on fire. Let's see how his agency responds. I've asked
once before what services his agency provides for those families
struggling with *serious* abuse and/or abandonment issues. Our agency
gets monthly calls from parents whose international adoption agency
abandoned them in a time of major crisis.
<<I would recommend him (and have) to anyone. Maybe I was lucky, or
maybe Orson
really knows what he's doing and is as good as we think he is. S.>>
Maybe Orson is as good as you claim. Maybe you could answer my
question.
Grumpy Old Dad