Dear Alexandra and Martin:
Well, today was the day. February 6, 2009. Your mother and wife, respectively, was sentenced to 90 days in jail, and 12 years of probation for the counts of felony fraud she was convicted of. This letter is my attempt at closure for what Lisa Novak did to me and my family. It is also an attempt, however unlikely, for you both to understand a few things from the 'other side.' And finally, it is an attempt to further burn Lisa's name and what she did into the annals of the internet so that anyone that happens to do a search on her will come across this. I wish I had seen something to this effect before I ever decided to adopt with the Claar Foundation.
This letter is not going to be a tirade. That would be too easy, and not address the nuances of Lisa's personality. What I have felt for some time (and it was reinforced today) was that this was never about Lisa being a Black Bart type criminal who was stuffing hundred dollar bills into a duffel bag, while emitting sinister gales of laughter. There is no doubt in my mind that Lisa helped many, many people bring children home into loving families; and that she did it more often than not without any impropriety. I also believe that Lisa Novak had good intentions in the early stages of running the Claar Foundation. I do not believe the business was set up as an operation purely to scam people. The truth, to the degree that I can discern it, is more complex.
Lisa was clearly very poor at managing money. I think she developed a pattern of doing whatever it took financially to keep things afloat not only with the Claar Foundation, but in her life in general. And I think those deceptions and shell games that she played made it necessary for her to deceive people and clients more and more often. And the deeper she got, the harder it was for her to realize the potential impact of what she was doing. She was overwhelmed by money troubles, the stresses of running a business, and the uncertain nature of international adoption programs. Her overarching goal of "helping the children" became a carte blanche to do whatever was necessary to keep everything together. She believed her own hype, to the detriment of the truth. What I noticed time and time again through our journey with Lisa was that she never considered herself at fault. Fingers were always pointing at someone else. Her brother. The clients. The adoption facilitators in foreign countries.
Well, Alexandra and Martin (if you ever in my wildest dreams actually read this...), let me tell you what I KNOW to be true. Your mother and wife lied, whenever it suited her needs. She lied about me to the Sosa family in Guatemala, telling them I was hell bent on lawsuits against them and Claar. I know this because the Sosas shared an email from Lisa to them while I was in Guatemala! She used the tragic car accident that one of the Sosas' daughters went through to collect donations from clients. Ostensibly it was for the Sosas' medical fees, but that money never was sent to the Sosas! It was used to cover some other financial vacuum in another dark corner of Lisa's universe.
If I can accept the fact that Lisa Novak did many things that were positive, I am asking you to accept the fact that she also did many things that were negative. The problem is that her negative actions FAR exceeded the good things she did. What she did was repugnant. And I do feel sorry for you, in particular, Alexandra, because you have to grapple with the knowledge that your idea about who your mother is flawed. She is not the Super Charity Woman you make her out to be; she is a woman who started, perhaps, with good intentions and wound up gouging deep, emotional and financial canyons in many lives. And there is no question that a lot of the pain she inflicted was done consciously. Do you know how many people she threatened with the prospect of losing their yet-to-be-adopted children? Do you know how incredibly twisted and malicious that is? I know it happened to us and I spoke with several other families who shared similar tales. I have emails to prove it! These weren't threats quickly uttered in a closed door meeting; Lisa often put them in print!
There are many more people who have deep grievances with Lisa that chose to just drop it and not come forward. Maybe they weren't defrauded. But there were lied to. Manipulated. Threatened. Abused. These were not necessarily acts that Lisa could be tried for in a courtroom; but they were often far more reprehensible than simply stealing money. They were a grotesque variety of human behavior.
I guess that's all I have to say. I'm ready to put Lisa Novak and the whole sordid business behind me. But if you're still with me, Martin and Alexandra: think about it. Think about who you think Lisa is. I'm not suggesting she's the devil incarnate. But you need to wake up and realize that she is far from the angel you perceive her to be. You know what? Write me a letter. Send an email if you read this. Tell me you understand. Because all I heard today at the sentencing was glowing oratory about Lisa and anyone who dared accuse her got trashed. And what that told me was that, after everything Lisa has put you through, you still don't get it.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Hanst
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