From the White House Press Room
"The FBI is here at the White House Press Room to make an announcement over the arrests of several Chinese nationals off the coast of San Francisco earlier this week. Let's go straight to the briefing now."
cuts to White House Press Room as a tallish man walks behind the lectern
"Thank you. On Sunday a Chinese freighter radioed for help three hours after it left the Port of San Francisco. When the U.S. Coast Guard boarded their disabled ship in U.S. waters to render assistance, the ship was discovered to have thirty-three children on board and clearly against their will. While the exact nature of why these children were on this China-bound trip is under investigation, there is no doubt of how they got there. At this point I'd like to turn this briefing over to the lead investigator from the New York field office, Special Agent Laura Jarron."
A bleach-blond woman steps behind the same lectern
"Thank you, sir. Let me start my comments with this: While the freighter is flagged under the People's Republic of China, we do not believe the government of that country had or has any knowledge of the nature of the cargo. To date, the whereabouts and remains of sixty-one children ranging from three to late teens have been recovered. We are discovering a significant number of the children we have discovered in this an another instance were not kidnapped as their loved ones claimed."
"At this time, over one hundred agents nationwide are bringing in for questioning those parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents who are suspected to have sold their small children. We are continuing to develop leads as we discover more of the scope and nature of those responsible for funding this trade."
"With the caveat that I will not comment on specifics of the current investigation, I'll open the floor to questions."
Q: "How many children do you know were kidnapped as opposed to sold?"
A: "We know for certain four sold for profit. As the questioning of those allegedly involved in this trade is not complete, we have no solid numbers."
Q: "How are you sure these weren't private adoptions?"
A: "Without getting into details, there marked are inconsistencies between these cases and an adoption."
Q: "How many people are being questioned?"
A: "No comment."
Q: "Can you give us an idea of how many children in total may be involved?"
A: "No."
Q: "What were the children going through on the ship captured?"
A: "The ship was not captured. The crew radioed for help after an incident on-board. After a routine inspection by the Coast Guard discovered the cargo. Only at that time was FBI called in."
Q: "What happened to the crew?"
A: "We're still determining that."
Q: "Do you know who called in the ship's distress call?"
A: "We're still determining that."
Q: "Were any children abused?"
A: "No comment."
Q: "Were any of them sexually assaulted?"
A: "No comment. One more question, then we'll have to wrap up."
Q: "Are you worried about the effects on the accused parents arrest to their other children?"
A: "We're not arresting anyone until they have been questioned. If it's determined they did sell a child, I'd prefer they not have an opportunity to repeat the crime."
"We're not seeking to prosecute those who have legitimately lost a child. The questioning is being done in a careful manner of all those being held. We're simply looking for answers. To the friends and neighbors of those people we are taking in for questioning, please remember they are not suspects; many of the children recovered were kidnapped through no fault of their caregivers or themselves, and we're hoping to reunite these families as quickly as possible."
"We will continue to develop leads in this case and follow them to conclusion. Thank you."
"The FBI is here at the White House Press Room to make an announcement over the arrests of several Chinese nationals off the coast of San Francisco earlier this week. Let's go straight to the briefing now."
cuts to White House Press Room as a tallish man walks behind the lectern
"Thank you. On Sunday a Chinese freighter radioed for help three hours after it left the Port of San Francisco. When the U.S. Coast Guard boarded their disabled ship in U.S. waters to render assistance, the ship was discovered to have thirty-three children on board and clearly against their will. While the exact nature of why these children were on this China-bound trip is under investigation, there is no doubt of how they got there. At this point I'd like to turn this briefing over to the lead investigator from the New York field office, Special Agent Laura Jarron."
A bleach-blond woman steps behind the same lectern
"Thank you, sir. Let me start my comments with this: While the freighter is flagged under the People's Republic of China, we do not believe the government of that country had or has any knowledge of the nature of the cargo. To date, the whereabouts and remains of sixty-one children ranging from three to late teens have been recovered. We are discovering a significant number of the children we have discovered in this an another instance were not kidnapped as their loved ones claimed."
"At this time, over one hundred agents nationwide are bringing in for questioning those parents, uncles, aunts and grandparents who are suspected to have sold their small children. We are continuing to develop leads as we discover more of the scope and nature of those responsible for funding this trade."
"With the caveat that I will not comment on specifics of the current investigation, I'll open the floor to questions."
Q: "How many children do you know were kidnapped as opposed to sold?"
A: "We know for certain four sold for profit. As the questioning of those allegedly involved in this trade is not complete, we have no solid numbers."
Q: "How are you sure these weren't private adoptions?"
A: "Without getting into details, there marked are inconsistencies between these cases and an adoption."
Q: "How many people are being questioned?"
A: "No comment."
Q: "Can you give us an idea of how many children in total may be involved?"
A: "No."
Q: "What were the children going through on the ship captured?"
A: "The ship was not captured. The crew radioed for help after an incident on-board. After a routine inspection by the Coast Guard discovered the cargo. Only at that time was FBI called in."
Q: "What happened to the crew?"
A: "We're still determining that."
Q: "Do you know who called in the ship's distress call?"
A: "We're still determining that."
Q: "Were any children abused?"
A: "No comment."
Q: "Were any of them sexually assaulted?"
A: "No comment. One more question, then we'll have to wrap up."
Q: "Are you worried about the effects on the accused parents arrest to their other children?"
A: "We're not arresting anyone until they have been questioned. If it's determined they did sell a child, I'd prefer they not have an opportunity to repeat the crime."
"We're not seeking to prosecute those who have legitimately lost a child. The questioning is being done in a careful manner of all those being held. We're simply looking for answers. To the friends and neighbors of those people we are taking in for questioning, please remember they are not suspects; many of the children recovered were kidnapped through no fault of their caregivers or themselves, and we're hoping to reunite these families as quickly as possible."
"We will continue to develop leads in this case and follow them to conclusion. Thank you."