Last week Masha Allen testified before the House Energy and Commerce Committee, Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations about her abuse at the hands of the US adoption industry and her adoptive father Matthew Mancuso. Her submitted testimony is below.
To read more about Masha and her case go to Bastardette’s Masha postings here ,here, and here. These blogs also contain numerous links for further research.
Testimony submitted by
Masha Allen
to the
House Energy and Commerce Committee
Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations
Oversight Hearing on Child Pornography on the Internet
May 3, 2006
Washington, DC
My name is Masha Allen. I am 13 years old and live near Atlanta, Georgia with my mother, Faith Allen. When I was five years old Matthew Mancuso, a Pittsburgh businessman who was a pedophile, adopted me. I was rescued almost three years ago when the FBI raided his home in a child pornography sting. After I was rescued I learned that during the five years I lived with Matthew he took hundreds of pornographic pictures of me and traded them over the Internet. Thank you for conducting this hearing. Also, thank you for letting me have Nancy Grace here. Nancy is really special to my family and me. She has been an advocate for me and lots of other kids. The Internet is everywhere in my story. You need to do something about it right away.
I was born on August 25, 1992 in Novochakhtinsk, Russia. For the first three years of my life I lived at home with my mother and siblings. My mother was an alcoholic. When I was three years old she tried to kill me. She stabbed me in the neck and I almost died. The government took me away from her and I went to live in an orphanage near my family’s home in Russia.
Living in the orphanage was scary and dangerous. There was constant noise and the older children abused the younger ones. I was afraid all the time. I kept all of my belongings under my pillow because I was afraid they would be stolen. After living in the orphanage for two years I found out that I was going to be adopted.
Matthew visited the orphanage a couple of times. He seemed nice. He gave me presents. I asked him if he was married and if I would have a mother but he said no. He adopted me in Russia in July 1998. After that we left Russia and traveled to his house outside of Pittsburgh. The abuse started the night I got there.
Matthew didn’t have a bedroom for me. He made me sleep in his bed from the very beginning. He molested me all the time. He made me dress up in adult’s clothes and even pretended to marry me. Sometimes he kept me chained in the basement. Because he didn’t want me to grow up, he only let me eat a little bit of food – plain pasta, raw vegetables, no meat. Five years after I went to live with him I had only gained a little bit of weight. When I was rescued I was 10 years old but I only wore a size 6X.
Matthew let me go to school and sometimes play with friends. But he told me if I ever told anyone what was happening that something bad would happen to me. Even though I was the size of a five year old when I was ten, no one at my school ever said anything to anyone. No one from the adoption agency ever came to check on me to make sure I was OK. I never told anyone about the abuse because I was afraid and I thought no one cared.
A lot of people ask me how any could let a pedophile adopt a little girl. I didn’t know very much about my adoption until my lawyer investigated everything. Now I know there were three adoption agencies involved in my adoption by Matthew. The first was Families Thru International Adoption in Indiana. I think Matthew found them on the Internet. He went to an office they had in New Jersey. The state of New Jersey found out that they were operating without a license and closed them down. The same people who worked for that agency just started a new agency in the same office in New Jersey that they called Reaching Out Thru International Adoption.
The two agencies are fighting over who was really responsible for Matthew adopting me. But the name of Families Thru International Adoption is on the home study, the immigration paperwork and the Russian government documents. I think Matthew also paid Families Thru International Adoption. Reaching Out Thru International Adoption was really just the same agency and the same people with a different name. A third agency did Matthew’s home study to adopt me. They were in Pittsburgh and were called the Family Health Council. But they just changed their name too, to Adagio Health.
I found out after I was safe that none of these agencies asked Matthew many questions. They never really checked him out. They showed him pictures of me, probably on the Internet, before he had a home study to adopt me. In some of the pictures they showed him of me from the orphanage I was naked. He told them he was divorced and had a daughter that he wasn’t close to. I found out later that the reason his daughter didn’t talk to him is that he molested her too. While I lived with Matthew no one from any of the adoption agencies ever came to check on me even though the Russian government requires it. Since my story came out we found out that two other kids – a boy from Romania and a girl from Russia – were adopted by pedophiles too. Just so you’ll know, fourteen other Russian kids have actually been murdered by their adoptive parents in America. I’m sure there are other kids in trouble. But no one seems to care about any of this. When I told my story in public for the first time all the adoption agencies, not just Matthew’s tried to cover up my story.
I lived with Matthew for five years. The whole time he starved and molested me. The whole time he took a lot of pictures of me. I didn’t know until later that he was putting my pictures on the Internet to trade and maybe sell to other pedophiles. I was rescued when the FBI discovered that Matthew had a lot of child pornography on his computer. They came to raid his house. They didn’t know I would be there.
When the FBI arrested Matthew I was taken to the hospital, examined and then put in foster care. My foster mother was Faith Allen. She understood what I was going through because she was sexually abused when she was little. She was a foster child in Georgia when she was growing up. As soon as I went to live with her I felt safe. She adopted me on May 14, 2004.
Matthew was prosecuted by the US Attorney’s office in Pittsburgh and on September 25, 2003 he was convicted on child pornography charges for all the pictures he had on his computer. He was only sentenced to fifteen years in prison for that. I was afraid he would get out of jail too soon. He was convicted again in Pennsylvania state court on August 23, 2005 of eleven criminal acts for some of the things he did to me. He was sentenced last November to 35 years in prison. I was really upset that he didn’t receive a harder sentence. I was even more upset that he was sent to a hospital in Massachusetts so he could be rehabilitated. A person like Matthew can never be rehabilitated. Plus in this hospital prison he has free health care, free mental health services and he can read magazines, play ping-pong and have hobbies. No one cared about rehabilitating me. I just lost my Medicaid and my mom has to work double hard to pay for the things I need while Matthew lays around the hospital playing games.
I was really mad that Matthew didn’t get harder sentences and that he went to an easy prison. But I got much more upset when I found out about the pictures of me that he put on the Internet. I had no idea he had done that. When I found out about it I asked our lawyer to get them back. He told me we couldn’t do that. Then I found out that they would be there forever. That’s when I got mad and decided to go public with my story.
Usually, when a kid is hurt and the abuser goes to prison, the abuse is over. But because Matthew put my pictures on the Internet the abuse is still going on. Anyone can see them. People are still downloading them – we get notices from the FBI every time someone is arrested for it. I want every single one of them to go to jail and really be punished. But that’s a problem too.
I found out last summer that if someone downloads a song off the Internet the penalty is three times worse than if someone downs child pornography. I couldn’t believe it! How can this be? That’s when I decided that we had to change the laws about downloading child porn. Senator Kerry and Senator Isakson and Congressman Gingery and Congressman Tierney introduced bills in Congress that make the penalty the same as downloading songs. That was a few months ago. There hasn’t been a vote on it. I want every single member of Congress to sponsor these bills and I want the Congress to pass them right away.
There are a lot of cases of people who downloaded my pictures and I want every single one of them to be punished as much as possible. There might be more pictures of me on the Internet than any other real child. The police told my lawyer that a lot of child pornographers – more than half even – have my picture on their computers. And there are a lot of other kids like me too. The people who are doing this should be afraid. We know who they are. A lot of the people downloading these pictures are professionals. They are doctors and teachers and ministers. We’re going to put THEIR pictures on the Internet and tell people what they are doing. People stopped downloading songs when they found out they could be sued. We’re going to sue these guys too – every single one we find out about. I want to tell them, “You’re not doing this in secret anymore. Everyone can find out who you are!”
I’m more upset about the pictures on the Internet than I am about what Matthew did to me physically. A lot of people are surprised that I wanted to go public with my story. But I’ve been on the Internet since I was five years old. Going on a television show wasn’t going to hurt me. I did it because I didn’t think anyone was doing enough about the things that happened to me and to a lot of other kids. Talking to John Quinones and Nancy Grace has helped me. They were my champions. I feel in charge of my story because of them. I know they will help me to help other kids like me. People need to know about this stuff. The adults who let this happen have just tried to cover it up.
You have to do something about the Internet. Matthew found the adoption agency on the Internet. They let him look at my pictures from Russia on the Internet even though they didn’t really know anything about him. Other kids have been adopted by pedophiles the same way. Matthew put my pictures on the Internet after he got me. People are still downloading them even though he has been in prison for two years. We don’t even know whether he still makes money for them even though he’s in jail. Even now that I’m safe the Internet is still a dangerous place for me to go. The police detective who found Matthew’s house for the FBI said I should never go to chat rooms even for fun things because they almost always have predators.
Ten years ago I was a scared little girl in a Russian orphanage. For five years I was held hostage by a monster. But in the last two years a lot of amazing things have happened. John Quinones and Nancy listened to me and told my story to the whole world. I called my Congressman, Dr. Gingery, who didn’t even know me. He introduced a bill in Congress right away to help me and other kids like me. Because of all these things, I believe I can do something for other kids so they don’t have to go through what I did.
Some people say we can’t control what’s on the Internet but that’s ridiculous. If we can put a man on the moon, we can make the Internet safe for kids. That’s just common sense. I’m going to work hard to protect other kids and make sure people who hurt them are punished. I hope you will help me. You can start by passing Masha’s Law right away! That would be a good start!
Witness contact information:
James Marsh, Esquire
Marsh, Menken and Weingarden, PLLC
81 Main Street
Suite 305
White Plains, NY 10606
914.686.4456
Thank you for helping to spread Masha’s story. I read two daily Chicago newspapers every day and I didn’t see Masha’s testimony printed anywhere!!
Shame on the media! And thank you, Bastardette, for not letting Masha’s story be hidden.
I second that.
Thanks, Bastardette.
That stinks about the Chicago papers, Anita.
I was happy to see the Toronto Globe and Mail recognised Masha’s story as sufficiently important to make front page headlines, with photograph and quotes from her testimony.
I’m a former foster child and current child advocate.
Thanks so much for sharing this story. Please feel free to share foster news with me anytime.
As other respondees have mentioned, these types of articles are often “hidden” in the middle of the paper.
Former foster children need to have a voice. So do current children in foster care.
http://sunshinegirlonarainyday.blogspot.com/
The names of the other children molested by their AParents are:
From Romania, Daniel Peckenpaugh. He was adopted using Tree of Life. His Oregon ADad was a known nudist and “priest”. He now is in jail. Do a Google search on William.
From Russia, Victoria Gilmore. She was adopted by a minister and his wife, along with a sister and a brother. The ADad pled guilty. They live in Oregon too.
Then there’s John Krueger, a single guy in California who adopted two boys from Ukraine with Cathy Harris. Guess what! He is charged with molesting one of his adopted sons too.
Thanks for the Russian updates. I have a long piece on Peckenpaugh which I’ve not finished–got hung up on some stuff–but it’s probably time to finish it.
Masha Allen is a Beautiful Young Girl That at the Hands and Death Threats of Matthew Mancuso a Evil Pedophile Abused Her and Uploaded Photos of this Child Abuse to The Internet This Sicko Pedophile is in prison waiting to get out This will not happen I will not let this happen I will do everything in my power to stop this from Happening I will give my life to see that Matthew Mancuso stays in Prison.
Kids Becoming Nobody’s Children
Big news ! August 30, 2006
National Center for Youth Law Files Lawsuit in Nevada to Improve Child Welfare System, Las Vegas
The National Center for Youth Law (NCYL) filed a class action lawsuit today against Nevada Gov. Kenneth C. Guinn, state Health and Human Services Director Michael Willden, and Clark County officials for failing to protect the health and safety of children in Clark County’s child welfare system. http://www.youthlaw.org
Last year over two million American families were falsely accused !!!
It is not in any one individual state but is now a worldwide epidemic.
The abuse of children is a horrendous and unacceptable crime in any society and it is correct that when such acts occur, immediate protection is available for the children and appropriate action is taken in regard to the offenders.
However, what is also unacceptable is the high level of false accusation of child abuse which also has abusive effects on children and the families who are falsely accused.
I don’t mean to disturb you but I really want people to be aware about that subject, because today, tomorrow, in the next half hour, it could happen to us too!
Imagine if you were suddenly accused of being a child molester…..
Imagine if nobody believed you when you cried out that you were innocent….
Imagine if you were separated from your children and sent to prison for life….
Some people don’t have to imagine. It really happened to them !
Please read those people stories and then make your own decision !
1. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/470628250?ltl=1152942335
2. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/512966888?ltl=1154759759
3. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/452154813
4. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/492374273
5. http://www.thepetitionsite.com/takeaction/802190866?ltl=1156436159
Very few children in America are genuine orphans. Most have relatives, family friends, neighbors or godparents who could, and are willing to, keep them if they must be moved temporarily or permanently from parental homes. As we know, there is such a halo around “adoption” and states have received financial incentives for finding “forever homes” for the children who are made Paper Orphans by a stroke of a judge’s pen. The child is labeled as abused and/or neglected and therefore is “at risk” and usually that means more money goes to the people who adopt the child, usually the ones in the pre-adoptive home where most babies are placed immediately. Those people have a say and can make comments along the way, so they are very much involved and interested in interrupting any chance that the baby will be returned home. If the baby stays in a “foster” home for 15 of 22 months, as you know from reading, then the termination can be effectively automatic by federal law and state incorporation of its provisions and sometimes that’s the excuse….
Foster care in America is a disaster: financially, legally, emotionally, physically and by nearly any other perspective or measure possible to consider it.
Want to see how much money your state made off of your
children? http://www.acf.hhs.gov/news/press/2005/ai_table.html
Public need to know what’s going on and the more publicity the better chance of getting laws changed to stop false allegations!
Please don’t just say no, give it a chance,please. True info, some local media avenues are already shedding light on this, but we need a bigger voice or it won’t change. Someone the PEOPLE will listen to, give innocent Children a voice.
LIST OF CHILDREN THAT DIED IN FOSTER CARE. WHY?
This page is in memory of children who died after social service agencies removed them from the care of their parents, placing them with fosters, adopters, group homes, or psychiatric facilities. This list grow by at least two names each week.
http://journals.aol.com/mamaws3angels/THETERRIBLETRUTHABOUTCPSANDDCS/
FALSE ACCUSATIONS, STATE ABUSE, AGENCY CORRUPTION, and PAYMENTS LO$T IN THE PIPELINE, WHILE GOOD CAREGIVERS ARE SABOTAGED AND SHORTCHANGED
And all in the name of the children and their “best interests.”
“The toll of legally kidnapped children continues to increase, silently and secretly, unnoticed and unmourned by any but the victims and the few dedicated activists against this tragic injustice” –
http://www.cafepress.com/gogo_kid
No one from her second DOMESTIC ADOPTION ever came to check on her. What kind of placement was her domestic adoption?
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/04135/316220.stm
Why was it done in the criminal court with Judge Cheryl Allen’s namesake Faith Allen who formally lived WITH THE JUDGE and before that in a DRUG REHAB CENTER??!! This looks like more Faith Based bullshit.
From Disney World Girl to Child Porn Star – the exploitation of Masha Allen continues!
Read all about it at http://www.DefeatCherylAllen.com
Where are all the bloggers now? Masha out of sight out of mind!
I just learned that Peter Sotos is publishing a book called “Show Adult” which is already listed for pre-sale on Amazon.com and Barnes& Noble.
**Masha has not given permission for her story or photos to be used in this manner**
Peter Sotos was the first American convicted of *owning* child pornography when he used images of children in his magazine “Pure”. In this new book,
he exploits Masha Allen’s story, referring to her as a “child porn star” and celebrating the exploitation of Masha Allen by her adoptive father via the Internet.
The ISBN is 9781840681482 for the paperback version of the “Show Adult” book which is listed for under $20 on B&N & Amazon
You can find more information about Peter Sotos and his ‘work’ here. If you wonder.. is this art or pornography, you can view the scans of the “pure” magazine. Links to the scanned pages are at the bottom of the Wikipedia. In the few pages I read, he glorifies the rape of a black woman. It is misogynist, racist writing, celebrating a restrained woman protesting her rape and sodomization. I am at a loss for words.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Sotos
http://community.livejournal.com/peter_sotos/
http://www.barnesandnoble.com (search Peter Sotos and/or Show Adult or 9781840681482)
http://www.creationbooks.com/frameset.asp?p=news.html
http://www.amazon.com (search Peter Sotos and/or Show Adult or 9781840681482)
I am shocked that B&N and Amazon.com would distribute this book, which like previous books, celebrates child pornography and sexual abuse of children.
I am hoping you will join me in protesting its sale.
B&N Comments:
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/help/customer_service/morehelp.asp?z=y Scroll down to “Still Need help?” and fill out the form
Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/help/contact-us/general-questions.html/102-8902132-1116153?ie=UTF8&browse%5Fnode%5Fid=5085
Fill out the form
~~~~
Sample letter to consider sending Barnes & Noble and Amazon, as always composing your own letter is best.
I am a longtime shopper at Amazon.com
Recently I learned you are pre-selling a book called “Show Adult” by Peter Sotos, which includes pornographic photos and descriptions of Masha Allen, a minor. Masha was adopted at age 5 from an orphanage in Russia by a single pedophile named Matthew Mancuso. He sexually abused her and posted thousands of photos of her on many child pornography sites.
She was rescued from his home after 5 years and has a new adoptive family. However she will always be victimized by the widespread distribution of the photos. (You can read about her interview on Oprah, and her testimony to congress)
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200601/20060117/slide_20060117_284_201.jhtml
http://energycommerce.house.gov/reparchives/108/Hearings/05032006hearing1852/Allen.pdf – Congressional testimony
I am shocked that you would sell the book Show Adult ISBN 9781840681482 . It is inconceivable that any responsible publisher, bookseller or retailer would continue to exploit child pornography victims like Masha Allen or for that matter allow a convicted criminal like Sotos to publish his sick and damaging thoughts and comments for other perpetrators to ponder. (Sotos was convicted of owning child pornography)
**Masha has not given permission for her story or photos to be used in this manner**
This is nothing short of promoting child pornography and enabling those who will be titillated by Sotos’
disgusting memoirs and comments which can only act as incentive to other predators.
Please reconsider the sale of such a damaging “book”.
It is irresponsible at best and knowing encouragement of child predators at worst.
I, and many others will consider the fact that you sell this book when deciding where to purchase other items, and in particular Children,s items, books, games, toys, etc.
Very truly yours,
~~~~
Another angle, Target sells via the Amazon site
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/102-0108111-7112959?ie=UTF8&nodeId=743056
I was able to see the Show Adult book on the target store front, You can do the same thing here
http://www.amazon.com/Show-Adult-Peter-Sotos/dp/1840681489/ref=sr_11_1/102-0108111-7112959?ie=UTF8&m=A1VC38T7YXB528&qid=1184179078&sr=11-1
or merely go here to the target Store here and search using the ISBN 9781840681482
http://www.amazon.com/Target/b/102-0108111-7112959?ie=UTF8&node=1079726
contact Target here
http://www.target.com/gp/help/display-contact-us-form.html?displayLink=oof
~~~
Office Depot partner store
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/browse/-/1064952/qid=sr=53-1/qid=1184128536/ref=tr_88121/102-0108111-7112959
Show Adult on Office Depot store front
http://www.amazon.com/Show-Adult-Peter-Sotos/dp/1840681489/ref=sr_11_1/102-0108111-7112959?ie=UTF8&m=A3T4TT2Z381HKD&qid=1184158115&sr=11-1
Contact [email protected]
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/seller/returns.html/ref=ms_mhelp_return?ie=UTF8&seller=A3T4TT2Z381HKD
~~~
More Amazon Partners (scroll to the bottom)
http://www.amazon.com/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/help/customer/display.html/102-0108111-7112959?ie=UTF8&nodeId=468606
~~
Sample letter to consider sending to Target & Office Depot, as always composing your own letter is best.
Target has a partner relationship with Amazon.com
I am a longtime shopper at Target stores in person and on-line, and a long time customer of Amazon as well.
Recently I learned Amazon is pre-selling a book called “Show Adult” by Peter Sotos, which includes pornographic photos and descriptions of Masha Allen, a minor. Masha was adopted at age 5 from an orphanage in Russia by a single pedophile named Matthew Mancuso. He sexually abused her and posted thousands of photos of her on many child pornography sites.
She was rescued from his home after 5 years and has a new adoptive family. However she will always be victimized by the widespread distribution of the photos. (You can read about her interview on Oprah, and her testimony to congress)
http://www2.oprah.com/tows/slide/200601/20060117/slide_20060117_284_201.jhtml
http://energycommerce.house.gov/reparchives/108/Hearings/05032006hearing1852/Allen.pdf – Congressional testimony
I was able to find that book for sale on the TARGET storefront!!!!!!!!!!
http://www.amazon.com/Show-Adult-Peter-Sotos/dp/1840681489/ref=sr_11_1/102-0108111-7112959?ie=UTF8&m=A1VC38T7YXB528&qid=1184127066&sr=11-1
I am shocked that they (and you by association) would sell the book Show Adult ISBN 9781840681482 . It is inconceivable that any responsible publisher, bookseller or retailer would continue to exploit child pornography victims like Masha Allen or for that matter allow a convicted criminal like Sotos to publish his sick and damaging thoughts and comments for other perpetrators to ponder. (Sotos was convicted of owning child pornography)
**Masha has not given permission for her story or photos to be used in this manner**
This is nothing short of promoting child pornography and enabling those who will be titillated by Sotos’
disgusting memoirs and comments which can only act as incentive to other predators.
Please reconsider the sale of such a damaging “book”, and your partnership with Amazon.com if they continue to market this book
It is irresponsible at best and knowing encouragement of child predators at worst.
I, and many others will consider the fact that you sell this book when deciding where to purchase other items, and in particular Children,s items, books, games, toys, etc.
Very truly yours,
~~~
Or perhaps consider contacting Oprah and asking her to support removing this book from Amazon, B&N and other vendors
Email Oprah
http://www2.oprah.com/email/reach/email_reach_fromu.jhtml