The Andersons:
Chapter 10
The Source knew Rudy Rivera and trusted him. The Source had seen Rudy pull out cases from PGN within days. As soon as the Source heard directly from Vickie which adoption agency was involved, Vickie received the following email on Saturday May 29. The Source spoke to Rudy Rivera in Guatemala the day before about them. The conversation confirmed many of the things we had suspected about Rudy, Denise and her Guatemalan program. We have highlighted the salient points.
From:
To: The Andersons
Sent: Saturday, May 29, 2004 9:28 AM
Subject: May 29 advice from Rudy Rivera
Dear Grandma Vickie -
Yesterday I had the chance to speak with a Mr. Rudy Rivera who has worked with adoptions in Guatemala for +10 years and is VERY well connected at the Embassy and PGN. He has taken over several other cases that I am involved with and he charges a flat $3,000 fee to finish an adoption that is in trouble. However, we are NOT suggesting that you do this ...
Here are his comments:- Denise Hubbard is new to working in the adoption world in Guatemala on her own.
- Denise was involved with Rudy Rivera in the past so he knows her well.
- Rudy's comment was that Denise is incompetent and deceptive, although not blatantly dishonest.
- after working with Rudy and supposedly "learning the ropes" - she broke off with Rudy without being up-front and honest about what she was doing and did it "behind his back."
- Rudy's overall feeling given that you have been in and out of PGN twice and the last time with 2 simple previos is that you should be patient and try to let Denise finish.
- the alternative is to work with him (that will cost alot) and it would probably mean starting over with some of your file and that could take a longer time than sticking it out with Denise.
- so his overall advice was to keep being patient.
- our overall conversation focused on Denise and not your attorney.
- Rudy is leaving this morning to go back home to St. Louis.
At the point that your file is back in PGN - we will do everything we can to get it approved and get you out.
Hope that information helps ... although it doesn't change anything or give you a different course of action. Perhaps it is a bit of a consolation to know that other people are involved and watching and we will help wherever we can!
Adios from Antigua
After reading it, they did not hesitate in contacting Rudy Rivera. $3,000 was worth every penny to get Audrey Pearl home. If only they’d known about him before.
The only thing we can quibble about in the email is Rudy Rivera’s assertion that Denise wasn’t “blatantly dishonest.” He was being diplomatic. Rudy knows damn well Denise Hubbard is dishonest, from her head down to her toes. She proved it by “going behind his back” after “learning the ropes” in Guatemala. Rudy may have had a feeling of Schadenfreude in seeing her flail around with the Anderson’s case.
Rudy left Guatemala on May 29, received an email from them that very day, and responded with the following:
Subj: Re: Thank You
Date: 5/30/2004 11:28:08 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: RRivera264
To: The Andersons
I don’t know what the problem is between Denise and her Guatemalan attorney, if there is one. I don’t know what Mr. Marco knows or does not know about Guatemalan adoptions. If the case keeps getting rejected from the PGN, it means that there are problems with the documents being filed or someone from the PGN is picking on the attorney. I suggest you ask the following questions:
1. Who was the attorney reviewing the case? It could be one of ten attorneys
2. What were the previos (reasons for the case being kicked out). They give you in writing what needs to be fixed. They do it each time the case gets rejected.
3. If the case was rejected and you were not asked to provide a document, then the rejection had to do with documents that could be procured in Guatemala. It is strange that it would take months to file a document in the PGN.
4. Get a time table of assignment and when documents were sent.
I would be happy to help and assist in getting the case out of PGN. Denise or her attorney may be resistant to that. You would have two options. Demand that she cooperate with me or I can try to work directly with the attorneys.
Please contact me if I can be of assistance.
There was more information in that one email from Rudy Rivera than there had been in 18 months of being BBAS clients. Rudy Rivera was right. Hubbard and Marco would be “resistant” to his helping the Andersons, but Hubbard and Marco knew not to mess with Rudy Rivera. He knew where and how to get the case out. Hubbard and Marco didn’t. He had, after all, set BBAS up in Guatemala and by extension, Bulgaria. There’s a lot to be said for some connections, even when those connections resurface to remind you where you’ve been.
The Andersons told Rudy Rivera they wanted him on the case. Andrew contacted Rick Marco on June 1 and spoke with him. He asked Mr. Marco if he’d gone to Guatemala to check on their case and if it had been entered into PGN. Mr. Marco said no, he hadn’t traveled, but handled the case from right there in his office by making a telephone call.
Andrew followed Rudy’s suggestion. A few more days went by. He again spoke with Rick Marco and frankly, he was fed up with BBAS and its “Corporate Attorney.”
The conversation was heated from the start. Marco accused Andrew of being rude to his Secretary, when in fact, Andrew had been courteous. It was Mr. Marco who was going to get ruder as the conversation continued.
Andrew told Marco that they were getting another attorney involved in to finish Audrey’s adoption, one that could get the job done. Marco countered by telling him the old Denise stand-by: they couldn’t do that because, per contract, BBAS and its attorneys were the ones who had to complete the contract.
Rick Marco just didn’t get it. But he did when Andrew said “The attorney we are hiring in Rudy Rivera in St. Louis.” A large light of understanding went off in the esteemed family attorney’s head. As expected, when faced with the man who their Guatemala profit extravaganza, Richard J. Marco, Jr. used his superior acumen and backed down. He understood and Denise Hubbard understood also. Rudy Rivera must have been one “scary name” to them.
Rudy Rivera called and spoke with Rick on June 4. We do not know what was said, but he was in and BBAS became a second tier player.
Subj: Re: Mr. Marco
Date: 6/4/2004 4:38:15 PM Eastern Daylight Time
From: RRivera264
To: The Andersons
I spoke with Mr. Marco and he is willing to cooperate. Please send your payment to the name and address below. My fee is $3,000 to finish your case. As soon as I get the information, I will contact the lawyers on your behalf.
Rodolfo Rivera
Attorney at Law
Director, Children of the World, Inc.
16 N. Central
Clayton, MO 63195
314-721-4070
314-721-2602 Fax
Rudy received the Anderson’s check for $3,000. On June 7 he officially became their attorney.
On June 25 Rudy Rivera got their case out of PGN.
Yes. After months and months of being kicked out, re-submitted, kicked out, Rudy had Audrey’s case out in a matter of 18 days. Rudy informed his clients that the attorney at Diaz-Duran handling Audrey’s case hadn’t any clue what was going on. He also asked why they just hadn’t gone down to PGN themselves when they’d been there in January!