Saturday, August 11, 2007

Sue Scheff and PURE Accused of Fraud: Horrific Acts of Child Abuse Alleged at Academy

Written by: Paula Reeves
Copyright 2007 www.paulareeves.com

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (August 12, 2007): As the sun sets on one case after another involving Sue Scheff and her one-person company, PURE (Parents Universal Resource Experts), another case looms on the horizon.

The case filed by the Green family in late July 2007 alleges that Scheff, “set up PURE based on the business model of a Utah entity known as WWASP [World Wide Association of Specialty Programs],” where Scheff referred children and against whom Scheff engaged in protracted litigation. The civil complaint alleges that Scheff lied about the money she received from private children’s programs and, instead, pretended to be “a volunteer who used proceeds from a successful lawsuit and from a trust fund to support her work and her organization . . . .”

The complaint alleges other defendants, namely that Boyd Hooper followed Scheff’s lead and likewise misrepresented that he was an “education specialist.” In reality, Hooper was Scheff’s public relations agent and fees were paid to Scheff and others, according to the complaint.

Focal Point Academy in Mesquite, Nevada is the place to which Scheff referred the Green family, according to the case. Focal Point was pawned off as a therapeutic boarding school, but was actually a state foster home with no foster children present.

Focal Point charges more than $5,000 a month as a therapeutic boarding school, but it would have been worth it to the Green family for their son to receive the intensive psychiatric help he needed. Instead, their son was not provided the specialized treatment promised by Scheff, Hooper, and Focal Point—but, rather, was beaten and subjected to perverted sexual acts by other “students.” The acts continued and, even though Focal Point Academy was aware of them, they were not reported to government authorities.

Like her counterpart, WWASP, Scheff is accustomed to lawsuits and accusations of fraud and deceit. This time, however, it looks like trouble may be brewing for Scheff. ####

Copyright 2007 Paula Reeves www.paulareeves.com