Do It For The Children

A woman who lied to adopt 11 disabled children whom authorities say she abused while she raked in more than $1 million in subsidies was sentenced to nearly 11 years in prison. One year for each...pretty easy for totally ruining 11 lives.

Judith Leekin engaged in "a heartless, dangerous money-driven scheme" when she used fake names and lies about the children to defraud social service agencies in New York City and New York state. The 63 year old hottie has been accused of treating the children like prisoners, subjecting them to beatings and handcuffs while they stayed in a locked room without food, depriving them of medical and dental care and not sending them to school. Authorities said the children were so physically and emotionally abused they can never recover, much like watching Meet Dave.

The children, now ages 16 to 28, suffer from a variety of severe mental and physical disabilities, including autism and Down syndrome. Leekin began adopting them in 1988, when she lived in New York City. A decade later, she moved to Port St. Lucie, FL. Florida authorities have charged her with aggravated child abuse and aggravated abuse of disabled adults, and she could face as much as 120 years in prison if she is convicted of those and other charges. Because it is difficult to truly prove if she is a man or woman, special incarceration circumstances may need to be addressed.

Nine of the children are now in foster or group homes. Another lives on his own in Florida. One child is missing and presumed dead. Attorneys said one child was afraid to face Leekin again while five others who were capable of speaking were not brought before the court because social-services professionals advised that they would be further emotionally and psychologically damaged by the experience. Authorities are still troubled by the 2000 disappearance of a child who suffered from Down syndrome, autism and sickle cell anemia. Some of his siblings were told the child, who would be 19 today, was taken to a hospital, while others were told he was buried in the back yard. Because that's where you'd bury him. Duh!