“Until you have a son of your own . . . you will never know the joy, the love beyond the feeling that resonates in the heart of a father as he looks upon his son. You will never know the sense of honor that makes a man want to be more than he is and to pass something good and hopeful into the hands of his son.” Kent Nerburn
On June 16, 2004 David Goldman said goodbye to his son, Sean, at Newark Airport. He didn't know it at the time but his wife, Bruna, and her parents Silvana Bianchi Ribeiro and Raimundo Ribeiro were in the process of abducting Sean and taking him to Brazil with no intention of ever returning. According to the Hague Convention, to which both the United States and Brazil are signatories, this was a clear case of international child abduction, otherwise known as parental kidnapping. For over four years David has been fighting relentlessly in the Brazilian judicial system to win back custody of Sean and bring him home to their house in Tinton Falls, New Jersey.
David is fighting the battle of his life and has run up against two very powerful and influential families, the Ribeiro's and Lins e Silva's, that have done all they can to prevent him from being reunited with Sean. He has exhausted virtually every legal option available to him in both the US and Brazil at great cost emotionally and financially. After Bruna's sudden and tragic passing on August 22nd, we all assumed David would finally be able to see Sean and bring him home. Unfortunately, he is now in the midst of another custody battle, this time with Bruna's new husband, João Paulo Lins e Silva.
It has been four long and painful years for David Goldman. David was and is by all accounts a caring and loving father; he does not deserve this treatment. It is cruel and unjust, an affront to human decency. Enough is enough: we need your help in making sure the Brazilian judicial system does the right thing and sends Sean home to his father. BringSeanHome.org was formed by David's friends; our assistance and effort are solely focused on the goal of bringing Sean home. We hope that you will join us in this cause by writing, e-mailing or calling one or more of the people listed on the How to Help page.
We invite you to read an open letter from David detailing the abduction, the parties involved, and continuing denial of his parental rights by the Brazilian judicial system. David's Story, was forwarded to us from Brazil on September 20th. Since that date David has gone back to Brazil and although he had a Brazilian Federal Court Order to meet his son for the first time in four years he was again denied when the boy was taken away and hidden. It was not till February of this year, after the personal help of US Congressman Christopher Smith of New Jersey that David was allowed to meet his son, he was permitted just six hours after four long years.
This incredible saga goes on each day, please take the time to read the articles that have been printed in newspapers and magazines here in the US. From late September 2008 up until the 28th of February '09 the Brazilian press, including American owned AP, television and radio outlets did not report the story due to a bogus “gag order” in Brazil. A nation of nearly 200 million was kept totally in the dark. Just a few brave periodicals and online legal review web sites defied João Paulo Lins e Silva, and reported. Orders from a Brazilian court to shut down this web site were ignored because it is not owned or operated by David, and we are not subject to Brazilian law. Please watch the videos of interviews and review the information listed on the Media and Documents page then follow along with breaking news on our Forums and Blog.
To read all about this case, please visit www.bringseanhome.org
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