Russian law office vows unrelenting war on Russian adoptees’ abuse in U.S.

MOSCOW. Dec 29 (Interfax) – Russia’s top criminal investigation agency has promised to be unrelenting in seeking action against American couples that have abused children adopted from Russia.

“The Investigative Committee is determined to take all possible measures within its powers to protect Russian children from criminal encroachments, regardless of where such crimes have been committed, and to take exhaustive measures to have those guilty brought to justice under Russian and international law,” Committee spokesman Vladimir Markin told Interfax on Friday.

“Investigations in the United States into crimes against Russian children take years and are marked by amazing indifference and double standards. For example, the investigation of the case of Michael Grismore, who is accused of sexual violence against his adopted 15-year-old daughter from Russia, has taken more than three years already. Moreover, fake certificates of the girl’s age have been submitted to court in a bid to evade prosecution,” Markin said.

“The Russian Investigative Committee institutes criminal proceedings on each case that becomes known. At the moment, nine criminal cases have been instituted and are being investigated in connection with abuse that threatened the life and health of 12 Russian children. Under the bilateral treaty on mutual legal assistance, (Russian) criminal investigation authorities have asked U.S. authorities for copies of all records of investigation of those crimes and for the necessary investigations and other procedures to be carried out in the United States,” the spokesman said.

On four cases, the U.S. Justice Department has refused to provide any of the documents and carry out any of the procedures requested, he said.

“Despite this, the Investigative Committee has brought in absentia charges against Brian Dykstra for the murder of his adopted son Ilya Kargyntsev, Michael and Nanette Craver for the murder of their adopted son Vanya Skorobogatov, and Michael Grismore for sexual violence against his adopted daughter. These persons have been put on the international wanted list through the channels of the Interpol National Central Bureau at the Russian Ministry of the Interior,” Markin said.

He said U.S. authorities had ignored repeated appeals from the Russian Prosecutor General’s Office and Ministry of the Interior to the Justice Department, State Department and secretary of state of the United States for appropriate punishment for the notorious abusers of Russian adoptees and against the acquittal of Dykstra and the mild sentence for the Cravers.