Thursday, August 2, 2007

Woman in Florida Pockets 2 Million in Child and Elder Abuse Operation that lasted 14 Years

Port St.Lucie , Florida

According to a story that broke in the Palm Beach Post by PAUL QUINLAN on Wednesday August 1,2007.

Charges were filed Wednesday for child an elder abuse against a woman accused of abusing and neglecting 11 adopted children and several elders while pocketing most of the $2 million in state and federal money she collected to care for them.

Investigators say Leekin starved those she adopted, whose ages now range from 15 to 26. Over the years, the children and adults were, at times, bound together with handcuffs and zip-ties and made to sleep on a tile floor. They were forced to soil themselves and kept from attending school or visiting doctors or dentists, police say.

The children were adopted between 1993 and 1996 but the charges were not filed until Wednesday August 1,2007 fourteen years (14) and two million dollars later ?

It is our position here on Elder Abuse that authorities MUST cut down on the profitability of these types of large scale child and elder abuse operations in Florida by acting sooner.

The fact that this operation netted 2 million dollars and lasted (14) years brings home the point that we are trying to make here on E.A. in our stand against all types of abuse.

By allowing these types of profits to go on for this long sends the wrong message to the individuals engaged in these types of profitable operations.

Please write our Senators in Tallahassee and let them know that it is disgraceful for these many children and elders to be held in these conditions for this long before the authorities in charge of protecting our most vulnerable citizens take action.

We must avoid the negative publicity and the general perception of helplessness that victim of child and elder abuse experience by expecting our elected officials and asking them to give these types of crimes a higher priority and acting sooner rather than later.

For all of our sakes.

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