Louisiana couple swap two children for exotic bird and $175

La. couple pleads guilty in bird-children swap

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

A Louisiana couple admitted giving an exotic bird to a woman in exchange for two children, a district attorney said Wednesday.

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Paul and Brandy Romero, of Eunice, pleaded guilty to two felony counts of sale of a minor child, Evangeline Parish District Attorney Trent Brignac's office said in a statement. Their five-year prison sentences were suspended in exchange for their testimony against the woman accused of handing over the children, Donna Greenwell of Glenmora, the statement said.

The Romeros traded their cockatoo and $175 for the children in February. Greenwell is not their mother, but the children were living with her. Prosecutors say she "instigated" the transfer when she responded to the Romeros' advertisement for sale of the bird.

Greenwell, who is free on bond, has pleaded not guilty to two felony counts of sale of minor children. Her trial is set for November.

Greenwell's lawyer, Steve Sikich, has said previously that there was no swap involved and that Greenwell was trying to find a suitable home for the children. He did not immediately return a call for comment on Wednesday's guilty pleas.


Read more: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/10/14/national/a154639D61.DTL&tsp=1#ixzz0TxUcmGDG

they're not giving a lot of details, at least not around here that i've heard, but apparently this woman was really GOOD at getting kids

these weren't the first kids that passed through her hands

the reason for the suspended sentence for the cockatoo couple is that everyone believes they really feared for the children and wanted to give them a good home, look, they were willing to give up their PET to take in the kids...i haven't heard any negs about them, they did a stupid thing but did it to help the children apparently

the real parents apparently sold the kids for crack or something to the con artist....i'm hoping the full story comes out in the trial

about to leave the country but i hope the truth is uncovered by the time i'm back, it's really a sad story