VAWA facilitates and funds illegal parental child abduction - part one

VAWA facilitated and funded the illegal abduction of Madison Tenn

Fathers 4 Justice daddy activist Donald Tenn opens up about his own child custody case as he faces 18 months in prison for an Ohio crane protest, in this exclusive three-part interview.

On May 25, 2006 Madison Tenn was illegally moved six states away from her Sacramento, California home by her mother, says dad Donald Tenn.  Since that time Shannon Phillips has committed fraud and perjury in two states, wasted thousands of tax-payer dollars and kept a little girl from her loving, stay-at-home, primary caretaker daddy, he adds.

Tenn is speaking out about his own case he says, because he's facing 18 months in prison for a peaceful protest for parents rights.  He wants people to know the truth; that he and Shannon were happily married, "We never had domestic problems.  I'm not a violent person.  I believe in communication.  The police were never called to our home."

 My wife told me she was taking Madison to visit her relatives in Illinois . After she arrived she said she wasn't coming back.  She wanted me to follow her.  I told her a decision like that should be made together.  I asked her to come home and  take six months to talk it over.  She refused.    

Tenn says a friend who is an Illinois real estate agent called and told him Phillips and her mother had been looking at houses for sale.  Tenn explained to Phillips that she could stay in Illinois, but she needed to return Madison.  He says she refused.  What he did next, it seems, caused Phillips to set into motion the VAWA (Violence Against Women Act) machinery that removes innocent parents, usually fathers, from the lives of their children.

I told her the law says she has to return Madison to California; that there are move-away laws that protect children from this sort of thing.

Tenn filed for an emergency ex-parte hearing.  It was a Friday. By the Monday morning hearing Phillips had declared to people at WEAVE in CA and DOVE in IL, and attorney Tony Nevarez that she feared Tenn.   Phillips was given a restraining order and returned to IL with Madison. 

Wanting to keep their close bond, Tenn started sending Madison packages every few days with books, snacks, stickers and small toys.  At first he was allowed phone conversations with Madison by Phillips and her mother Kathy Waseen, but that didn't last.

Fifteen months later, on October 19, 2007 Judge Peter J. McBrien had a hearing in Sacramento on Phillip's request to extend the restraining order.  (case #06fl05871)

Judge McBrien stated that he did not believe Shannon.  He chastised her for illegally removing Madison from California.   He did not believe any of her testimony or renew the order.  He told Shannon to come to an agreement on parenting time or he would make a ruling that she wouldn't like.

I wanted an equal parenting plan but agreed to every other weekend and 2 days a week. I remember Judge O'Brien said, 'This father will be immediately reunited with his daughter.  I am ordering his first visitation for 2 days from today, Sunday the 21st of October.'  He asked if I could be in Illinois on that date and I stated I certainly would be.

Tenn flew to Illinois and was at Phillip's mother Kathy Waseen's house in Bethany for the prearranged exchange.  It didn't go smoothly.

Shannon kept pulling Madison away from me in order to instill fear in her, as if Madison should be concerned. Her mother Kathy Waseen interfered by taking Madison away from the car for as many as 10 minutes.  Finally, I stated that this parenting time belonged to Madison and I and that we needed to go as our time was limited. 

Then Phillips said something that no one expected from the woman who had claimed so much fear of Tenn that she couldn't return to California.

Shannon suggested that she come along with Madison and I and we all visit together. I was shocked.  I told her that would not be possible.

What Phillips and Waseen didn't realize was that with two cameras rolling, Tenn got the entire incident on tape. 

Continued in parts two and three.   

Dedicated to Madison website

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