Cablegate: Baby Traffickers Resurface in Alexandria

VZCZCXRO4662
PP RUEHROV
DE RUEHEG #2291/01 3471459
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 131459Z DEC 09
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4438
INFO RUEHXK/ARAB ISRAELI COLLECTIVE
RUEAHLC/DEPT OF HOMELAND SECURITY WASHINGTON DC
RUCNFB/FBI WASHINGTON DC

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 CAIRO 002291

DEPT FOR CA/FPP, CA/EX, CA/OCS, DS/CR/OCI
ALSO FOR G/TIP, INL, DRL, PRM, NEA/RA, NEA/ELA, NEA/PPD
DS/IP/NEA

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE

POSTS FOR FRAUD PREVENTION UNITS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KFRDCVISCMGTCASCKOCIASECPHUMSMIGEG

SUBJECT: Baby Traffickers Resurface in Alexandria

REFS: CAIRO 1828 and previous
1.(SBU) Summary: An American Citizen couple attempted to register a newborn as their biological child during a scheduled consular outreach visit held at the American Center in Alexandria. The couple fit the profile developed by the Cairo Fraud Prevention Unit (FPU) in reftels and the case was referred to Egyptian authorities for further investigation. The couple subsequently admitted that the newborn was not their biological child and paying about USD 70 for the premature infant. Egyptian authorities have detained the alleged birth mother and have issued a warrant for the arrest of the doctor who falsely attested to delivering the baby. End Summary. Suspicion of Fraud ------------------

2. (SBU) After more than a year of local and international media attention on the baby trafficking cases uncovered by the FPU in reftels, another case has surfaced. The couple, who was attempting to obtain a Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) and passport for their alleged newborn, appeared at the American Center in Alexandria during a consular outreach visit by the American Citizens Services (ACS) unit on December 6. The keen eye of an Entry Level Officer quickly identified the case as fitting the profile developed by FPU and referred the case to the Fraud Prevention Manager (FPM). FPU Confirms Fraud ------------------

3.(SBU) The Senior Fraud Investigator spoke with the doctor who allegedly delivered the child. The doctor admitted that she provided a bogus letter attesting to the birth, and that she had never met the couple. A visit by another Fraud Investigator to the clinic where the woman allegedly gave birth confirmed that the clinic handled only blood tests, not childbirths. When confronted with this information, the couple admitted the newborn was not their biological child. They indicated they had received the child from a local Coptic hospital in Alexandria and had paid a nominal fee of about USD 70. Egyptian Authorities Confirm Fraud ----------------------------------

4.(SBU) Egyptian State Security Investigative Services (SSIS) arrested the couple as they left the American Center and referred them to a local prosecutor for questioning. The Amcit husband assumed all responsibility for the illegal adoption and the prosecutor subsequently released his Amcit spouse, but barred her from leaving Egypt pending the results of the investigation. The prosecutor also ordered the questioning of the doctor, hospital staff, and the alleged real birth mother who lives in Cairo. FPU and SSIS Cooperation Yields Results ---------------------------------------

5.(SBU) Unable to locate the doctor with only a cell phone number and partial name, SSIS asked for help from the FPU. Using the Text Search function of the Consular Consolidated Database (CCD), the FPM located a Diversity Visa record for the doctor and her family. The records indicated that the family had received Legal Permanent Resident (LPR) status in 2008. Based on experience with the cases in Cairo involving baby trafficking, the FPU advised SSIS that the doctor might attempt to flee Egypt for the United States. SSIS promptly entered the doctor's name on to their watch list to prevent her from leaving Egypt. Later the same day, the doctor was stopped trying to leave from Cairo International Airport. SSIS in Alexandria has requested a background briefing by the FPM and A/RSO-I to understand how this case fits into the bigger picture developed in Cairo. Comment -------

6.(SBU) The investigation of the case is ongoing and will undoubtedly uncover further details. It also has the potential of uncovering a baby trafficking network in Alexandria similar to the one uncovered in Cairo. Currently, there are more questions than answers. A key question remains identifying who coordinated the travel of the alleged birth mother from Cairo to a particular hospital in Alexandria to give birth prematurely, days before the arrival of the Amcit couple? Post will continue to report on this CAIRO 00002291 002 OF 002 case as information is developed. Scobey

© Scoop Media