How Could You? Hall of Shame- Mark J. Newton and Peter Truong UPDATED
This will be an archive of heinous actions by those involved in child welfare, foster care and adoption. We forewarn you that these are deeply disturbing stories that may involve sex abuse, murder, kidnapping and other horrendous actions.
From Indiana, adoptive father and dual Australian-US citizen Mark J. Newton,42, was sentenced to 40 years in prison on June 28, 2013 for making his internationally adopted son “available to at least eight other people for sex” between the ages of 2 and 6. This was the “maximum sentence on federal charges of conspiracy to sexually exploit a minor and conspiracy to possess child pornography.” This case reminds us of the Masha Allen case.
“Records in the case had been sealed since Newton was charged in February 2012. Also facing charges in the case are Peter Truong, 36, an Australian citizen identified in court records as Newton’s domestic partner; John R. Powell, 41, Florida; and Jason Bettuo, 36, Illinois.Truong has pleaded guilty and is awaiting sentencing on charges of conspiring to sexually exploit a child, as well as charges of possessing child pornography. Bettuo has filed a petition in federal court expressing his intent to enter a plea of guilty, and Powell’s case is still pending as he awaits trial.
“For more than one year and across three continents, these men submitted this young child to some of the most heinous acts of exploitation that this office has ever seen,” Hogsett said after the sentencing.
Court records indicate Newton paid a foreign woman $8,000 for her newborn baby in 2005 and that he and Truong then adopted the child.
Videos uncovered by the investigation depicted Truong and Newton engaging in sex acts with the boy when he was approximately 22 months old, court records revealed. They also traveled to the United States, France and Germany to allow others to engage in sex acts with the child.
Many of those encounters were photographed and videotaped by Newton or others and distributed to a close-knit group of people in several countries.
Newton and Truong were arrested in California in early 2012.
Testimony in court also revealed the child was coached by Newton on how to respond to investigators to deny any inappropriate activity.
Newton entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors last summer.”
Man sentenced to 40 years in prison in child pornography conspiracy
[The Indianapolis Star 6/29/13 by Tim Evans]
“The Indiana federal judge said she accepted the plea agreement Friday because the crime was too horrific for a jury.”
“Investigators say the men purchased the boy in another country for $8,000, telling friends they’d used a surrogate. Falsified documents allowed his adoption.
The man told the judge he was sorry and loved his son.”
Australian man admits using son in Internet porn
[WTHR 6/28/13]
“The 42-year-old man, who investigators say used falsified documents to adopt the boy after bringing him to the U.S., was sentenced to 40 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy charges involving child exploitation.
The judge overseeing the case said she accepted the plea agreement only because the videos were too horrific to show a jury.”
“During the hearing, prosecutors said the charges stemmed from abuse that occurred when the boy was 5 or 6 years old. But prosecutors said they discovered video this week showing the man using the boy for a sex act when he was less than 2 years old.
Investigators also allege the man and his partner took the boy to foreign countries where they allowed other men to abuse him, often recording the acts.
‘These men submitted this young child to some of the most heinous acts of exploitation that this office has ever seen,’ Indiana U.S. Attorney Joe Hogsett said in a statement late Friday, following the hearing.
The men had been living with the boy in California, where they were able to use falsified records to legalize an adoption, according to court records obtained by The Associated Press.”
“In a quaking voice, the shackled man stood before Barker and apologized, saying ‘being a father was an honor and a privilege that amounted to the best six years of my life.’
‘I’m deeply sorry,’ he added. ‘And I regret any harm I caused to my son or anyone else.’
‘Words don’t help,’ Barker responded. ‘What can be said? What can be done to erase some of the horror of this?’
The judge noted that the man, who has dual U.S.-Australian citizenship, and his Australian domestic partner went to great lengths to ‘acquire’ an infant from a mother in an unspecified foreign country [NY Daily News that we quote below reveals it is Russia] and brainwashed him into thinking the abuse he endured was normal.”
“Federal prosecutor Steve DeBrota said the crimes occurred in Australia, the U.S, France and Germany. Two other boys were also abused, prosecutors said, though no details were released.
DeBrota said evidence showed at least eight men had sexually abused the boy, including one in Illinois and one in Florida, though other details weren’t released.
The man also was ordered to pay $400,000 in restitution to the boy; the man’s partner also has been convicted, according to prosecutors, but has not yet been sentenced.
Monica Foster, chief public defender for the Southern Indiana U.S. District, declined comment following the hearing.
A sentencing document obtained by the AP said the man and his partner originally tried to hire a surrogate mother in an unidentified foreign country to bear a child, but ended up paying another woman $8,000 for the boy and then portrayed him as a biological son of one of the men.
The document also said the men used falsified documents to bring the boy to the U.S. and to legalize an adoption in Los Angeles.
Pornographic recordings of the abuse were found on computers in San Francisco, Arlington, Virginia, and Anderson, Indiana, according to investigators.
U.S. postal inspectors worked with federal prosecutors to trace the pornography to its source.”
[Daily Mail 6/28/13 by Associated Press]
“The couple bought the child from his Russian mother for $8,000 in 2005.”
“U.S. police raided the men’s Los Angeles home and arrested them in October 2011. The child was placed in the care of an American family, reported Seven News.Initially, Newton and Truong claimed they were being targeted because of their sexual orientation. The head of the Queensland task force, Detective Inspector Jon Rouse, roundly dismissed this accusation.
“If you’re harming a child — I don’t care what your gender is — we will take action. Our interest is the child, not your sexual preference,” said Rouse.”
This NY Daily News article gives a blocked out picture of the boy and the adoptive parents
Australian pair in L.A. convicted for making child porn with ‘adopted son’ from Russia
[New York Daily News 6/29/13 by Mike Walsh]
REFORM Puzzle Pieces
Update: “Police believe the pair had adopted the boy ‘‘for the sole purpose of exploitation’’. The abuse began just days after his birth and over six years the couple travelled the world, offering him up for sex with at least eight men, recording the abuse and uploading the footage to an international syndicate known as the Boy Lovers Network.”
”
The family planned to live in Cairns but that was delayed because Australian authorities initially refused to grant the child a visa. That took 2 years and upon their eventual arrival in Australia they said Customs quizzed them for hours. Police were also sent to the family’s house in Cairns to check up on the pair.
In the radio interview, 20 months before their arrest, Newton was asked if he felt the extra attention was because authorities suspected there was ‘‘something dodgy … something paedophlic going on here?’’
‘‘Absolutely, absolutely, I’m sure that was completely the concern,’’ Newton replied.
Evidence before the court revealed the abuse began before the couple returned to Australia. One video is said to show Newton performing a sex act on the boy when he was less than two weeks old.
Judge Barker said the pair brainwashed the child to believe the sexual abuse was normal. Newton was also said to have trained the boy to deny any inappropriate behaviour if he was ever questioned by authorities.
Newton and Truong came to the attention of police in August 2011 after their connections to three men arrested over the possession of child exploitation material came to light. The couple had visited the three men in the US, New Zealand and Germany with their son.
While the couple were visiting family in the US, Queensland police searched their Cairns home and found enough evidence to alert their US counterparts who raided their Los Angeles base and took the boy into custody.”
“The boy remains in the care of extended family in the US.” [What?]
“The Boy Lovers Network is known to police as a forum for men who describe sexual abuse of boys between the ages of two and 10 as a form of consensual love between man and boy.
“In a quaking voice, the shackled Newton stood before Barker and apologized, saying ‘being a father was an honor and a privilege that amounted to the best six years of my life.”I’m deeply sorry,’ he added. ‘And I regret any harm I caused to my son or anyone else.’
‘Words don’t help,’ Barker responded. ‘What can be said? What can be done to erase some of the horror of this?’
The judge noted that Newton and Truong went to great lengths to ‘acquire’ an infant from a mother in Russia and brainwashed him into thinking the abuse he endured was normal.”
‘With this network, rest assured that we will pursue them to the ends of the Earth to make sure each and every one of them faces justice for what their role has been in crimes against this child,’ he told 7.30.’The purchase of the child for the explicit and sole purpose of exploiting him across a network of men is incredibly depraved and a very sad tale for that little boy.'”
“Children’s Ombudsman Pavel Astakhov has decided to explain, which terrible crimes Russia has been trying to save its children from by introducing the ban on the adoption of children by foreigners. The official shared a story about two foreigners who “bought” a Russian child, whom they later raped and shot in porn movies.
“American citizens Mark Newton and his partner from New Zealand Peter Truong persuaded a woman from Russia to bear a child for them for $8,000. Having taken the boy, the so-called parents committed acts of a sexual nature with him, filming it all on video and taking pictures of it,” Astakhov said.
The child became a victim of at least eight more pedophiles in France, Germany and the United States, “where he was brought specially for making pornographic films,” added Astakhov. “Newton has been convicted. He has been sentenced to 40 years in prison. He will have to transfer 400,000 dollars to the child’s account. Peter Truong is awaiting for his sentence in New Zealand,” Astakhov wrote.
“The adopted Russian boy, who suffered from many years of sex exploitation, has been transferred to an American family,” said Astakhov.
Mark Newton was sentence in the U.S. last Friday; the man received the maximum sentence that was possible for this type of crime. Newton was convicted along with a lawyer from Florida and a tennis coach from Michigan, whom American law enforcement agencies managed to detect with the assistance of Australian colleagues. The two Americans were visiting the house of Newton and Truong in San Francisco to take part in the filming of porn videos with the participation of the adopted child, 7 News reports.
In public, Newton and Truong were playing an exemplary family. In 2010, the Australian edition of ABC published an enthusiastic article about them entitled: “Two dads are better than one.” The article was illustrated with an idyllic picture of the happy, as it seemed, family.
Adam was taught from infancy that sexual acts committed with a child was an absolutely normal phenomenon. The boy was perceiving everything that was happening to him as something normal. During investigation, police officers questioned the boy, but the child never said a bad word about his two dads, 7 News reports.
The pedophiles were unmasked in mid-2011, when one of the fans of their porn flicks was arrested. Investigators found numerous child porn pictures in the man’s computer, including the photos of the Newton and Truong family. Although there was not anything obscene on those photos, the police found them suspicious anyway.
By the time when the investigation was in full swing, the couple together with the child moved from Australia to the U.S.. In America, the men started to claim that the Australian government was persecuting them because of their sexual orientation. However, soon the Australians found convincing evidence to prove that Adam was subjected to violence, and in the autumn of 2011 the boy was taken away from the adoptive parents. The investigation continued, more evidence was found to prove that the pedophiles tried to contact other children. However, no facts of violence against other juveniles were found.
“Russian orphans have always attracted foreign perverts due to their availability. Barring foreign adoption, we put a barrier for scoundrels,” concluded Astakhov. Russia has recently banned the adoptions of Russian children by American citizens and foreign gay couples.”
“Astakhov told RT that the rehabilitation process for the boy, currently adopted by another American family, will take a long time. He noted that according to Russian law an adopted child remains a Russian citizen until lawful age and promised to closely follow boy’s life in the new family.To avoid future harm to the child, the investigators named the boy ‘Adam’ in all official documents.
Astakhov stressed that he fully trusts the American specialists responsible for Adam’s rehabilitation.
“International cooperation in the sphere of struggle against pedophiles gives Russia an opportunity to identify, expose and punish the criminals, protect children,” he said.”
“The child was basically dragged into sex tourism”, said Pavel Astakhov in an interview with “Voice of Russia”.
At least eight other pedophiles abused the child in France, Germany and the USA, where the couple brought him to make child porn.
Astakhov described this incident as “one of the most hideous, dreadful, and unfortunately one of the most widespread crimes in America.”
At least 320 children are sexually assaulted in the US annually, he said, adding it was “a direct challenge faced by children and society in general, which must be tackled.”
According to the Russian ombudsman, the boy has been adopted by another American family and is to undergo a lengthy rehab treatment, both medical and psychological.
Pavel Astakhov stressed that the child’s rehabilitation was the utmost priority at the moment, adding his repatriation might be considered at a later date.
Russian child rights ombudsman Pavel Astakhov reported yet another case of mistreatment of a Russian child abroad.
“Mark Newton from USA and his boyfriend Peter Truong from New Zealand convinced a Russian woman to carry a child for them for a reward of $8000. Having taken the boy, so called “parents” sexually abused him more than once making photos and video recording the process,” tweeted Mr Astakhov.
“At least eight other pedophiles abused the child in France, Germany and the USA, where the couple brought him for making child porn. Obviously, that’s not the first time Russian children have been sexually exploited by their adoptive parents,” he added.
“Investigators and prosecutors were shocked by the emerged grotesque details of the boy’s sexual abuse,” Mr. Astakhov added.
Newton’s guilt was proved and he was sentenced to 40 years of jail and must place $400,000 on the boy’s account. Truin is awaiting his sentence in New Zealand, Astakhov wrote.
He said foreign pedophiles often deem Russian orphans particularly accessible and stressed that a ban on overseas adoptions would put a check on this abuse.
“An international anti-pedophile effort will help Russia out and punish predators, and protect children,” he vowed.
According to the ombudsman, the abused Russian boy had found a new family in the United States.”
Russian boy bought from surrogate mother to be sexually abused and video-taped
[The Voice of Russia 7/1/13]
This tragic case shows that we need to stop accused pedophiles like Newton, Sylvain Kustyan, Jerry Sandusky, etc. BEFORE they continue to prey on innocent children! Kustyan, from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Hermin/Mazingarbe, France, has been formally charged with two counts of 1st Degree Sodomy of a ten-year-old little boy, Newton and Sandusky fled the US to avoid imminent arrest. As the average pedophile has 300 DIFFERENT victims in their lifetime and as the recidivism rate among pedophiles is virtually 100% they must be stopped ASAP!
Adam’s case is easily the most dreadful, horrific and frightening cases I have ever heard of. I look at the internet consistently to see whether he has shown positive recovery or not. My heart goes to a a newborn who was irresponsibly sold to child rapists by his so called mom. I just hope that in prison, Newton, Truong, Powell, Basuto and all those other pieces of garbage endure 10 times worse. They had no right to groom their own sex slave from birth. It is immoral and cruel and any human level. Who sees a baby and thinks of doing this to them? Only snakes, that’s who.
FS