Adoptive Parent, Judith Leekin, Starves Kids, Keeps Money
A New York woman, Judith Leekin, 63, admitted she used false names to adopt 11 disabled children. She also admitted to sending officials phony school report cards to qualify for adoption subsidies - one million dollars in two decades.
If this isn’t bad enough, she kept the kids like prisoners in in her Port St. Lucie, Florida home. Leekin admitted to restraining the kids to their beds with plastic ties and beating them. She also did not send them to school or bother feeding them much. All the children were found nearly starved to death, and had never received medical care.
A surveillance system let Leekin keep watch over the children via closed-circuit TV monitors. She would also lock the kids in a passageway to hide them from unexpected visitors. The children said she would threaten to shoot them or cut off their heads if they made noise.
The children are now 16 to 28, nine are who in foster or group homes. Another one lives on his own in Florida.
Leekin is facing federal mail and wire fraud charges. She must give back all the money and could get up to eight years in prison. That’s the least of her worries. Leekin is also suspected of killing one of the kids, a boy named Shane Graham, and disposing of the body.
I’m blown away that the abuse and fraud went on for 20 years and affected so many children. How did she manage to get away with this for so long?
(Thanks to reader Rebecca for sending a link to this story.)
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POSTED IN: Abuse, Neglect, Starvation
6 opinions for Adoptive Parent, Judith Leekin, Starves Kids, Keeps Money
sfdude_2008
Jun 1, 2008 at 2:43 pm
If you want to adopt kids, why just starve them? AND KEEP YOUR MONEY?!?!?! Poor boys! I’m so sorry that one of them died at the hands of that selfish hag! I hope that hag dies in prison!
Oh, and BTW, can you imagine what her angry face looks like? Well, it looks like it screams, “I DON’T CARE!!!! F*** YOU!!!!!!!” I hope her so-called parental rights are terminated forever! She doesn’t deserve to breathe the same air as everyone else does! She doesn’t even deserve to live at all! End of story!
davisr1708
Aug 29, 2008 at 6:10 am
8 years? Thats all? After torturing multiple children for 20 years … this country’s idea of justice is WHACK.
Joseph
Jan 20, 2009 at 2:53 am
Many “parents” adopt kids just for the money. Why do states give money to people to adopt kids. It is an invitation to abuse them. Many kids are abused and killed each year because of this insane law.
Alixan Miller
Jan 20, 2009 at 3:49 pm
Eight years? That’s ALL? An eye for an eye, I say. She should get chained to a bed and starved..
nickdan
Jan 21, 2009 at 12:10 am
I think more stringant screening should be done in to the people who want to adopt. There are guniuine people put there who could have givien these children propper loving homes and not ask for one sent. People like this lady (if you can call her that) make me sick. She deserves to go to jail for a long long time.
The Observer
Feb 23, 2009 at 7:29 pm
With a name like “Judith Leekin” should anyone be surprised at her love of money?
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