http://www.benchmarktransitions.com/assets/files/Opp-to-MTS-Pinedo-Decl.pdf
I'll comment point by point. Aaron was a witness to all of this.
9. I have doubts the Police actually told him not to return the passport considering when we called the cops, and the police showed up, the officer was insistent that it was his property (The Benchmark staff member then claimed they
did not have it).
10. That does not jibe with the fact when, around us, M. was quite clear he wanted to leave benchmark. Either Pinedo is lying or M. was conflicted but afraid to tell us. I find the former to be
much more likely.
11-13. We met with Pinedo under the pretense that he would be delivering M's passport to him. M. seemed excited about this. Pinedo was friendly and did engage us in conversation. We even shook hands. Pinedo told us that he had the passport with him and that he would give it to M. He claimed that he just wanted to say goodbye to M. and take him to a coffee shop. That's the last we saw of him. Whether he was threatened by Pinedo or whatever, I do not know. Pesonally, I think Pinedo probably told him something like "We talked to your PO and a lawyer. We are not going to give you back your passport and if you leave the program you will be arrested, prosecuted, and sent to prison." It may have also involved "your parents will completely disown you if you leave the program (a-la Tranquility Bay documentary)". Whatever was said, I find Benchmark's claim that M. suddenly changed his mind without outside interference a stretch, to say the least, especially considering his vocal enthusiasm for leaving the program.
http://www.benchmarktransitions.com/assets/files/Opp-to-MTS-Sefami-Decl.pdf
I'll comment point by point. Aaron was a witness to all of this and M's statements in regard to his story about Benchmark I have on video tape.
3. According to M, he broke into the ed center because he was trying to get out of Benchmark and back home. He stole staff keys, stole a staff car, made it to Mexico, after which his parents sent him back, after which he was
prosecuted by Benchmark for the act, given a
defense by Benchmark, and then sentenced to remain in Ca.
10. I don't recall being sarcastic at all. What I do recall is Mrs. Mauser screaming at me and refusing to speak rationally. We hung up on her. Furthermore, before she called me she called my father in France (number given by Benchmark obviously) who told her that Benchmark was not a good place and that she should take her son out. Furthermore, it was M who did not want to speak to her mother. Aaron and myself encouraged it but he did not want to.
12. The only time I hung up on her was when she was verbally abusive.
13-17. Phone records and Aaron as a witness show that it was she who called ME all those times during the night, waking me up (and then hanging up). If somebody did call her repeatedly during the night, it was not us. As she notes, my phone went to voicemail, which means it was off, and it remained off the entire night because she would not quit cold-calling me.
20. If M said that, he was trying to get out of trouble with the program. It was very clear during his time with us that if he was afraid of anybody, it was Benchmark. He was terrified of what he felt was Jayne's connections with the police, etc.
21-22. The order of events is incorrect. She called my father while M was still with us.
Also. If you read the YLF Hilarity thread documenting the journey, you'd know that we did not kidnap M or help him to violate his parole. When Benchmark found out he talked to us they forbade him to come back to his residence and locked him out. Essentially, he was homeless. We paid for a hotel room for him for the night.
