DCF employee, husband accused of sexually battering girl, Pasco deputies say

Josh Fiallo, Tampa Bay Times Fri, March 5, 2021, 6:35 PM

A Department of Children and Families employee and her husband are accused of repeatedly sexually battering a 13-year-old girl over a period of 10 months, according to the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office.

Sarah Adams, 34, was arrested Tuesday on charges of sexual battery on a minor, lewd and lascivious battery, child neglect and failure to report suspected child abuse, deputies said. Her husband, Thomas Adams, 33, was arrested that same day on two counts of sexual battery of a minor and single counts of lewd and lascivious battery and using a computer to solicit a child, deputies said.

The arrest report said Sarah Adams is an administrative assistant with the Department of Children and Families, the state’s child welfare agency that investigates allegations of abuse and neglect. Under Florida law, she is required to report any allegations of child abuse or neglect — just like a healthcare professional, teacher or law enforcement officer.

The abuse started in February 2019, according to the Sheriff’s Office, when Thomas Adams forced the girl to watch pornography and perform sexual acts on him. The girl told him “no” on several occasions, deputies said, but he ignored her and the abuse continued into December. In order “to show appreciation” for her sexual acts, deputies said the husband would give the teen a marijuana vape pen to smoke. The wife was aware that the girl was being sexually battered, deputies said, then joined in the assaults in November of that year.

The Sheriff’s Office did not say when the allegations were reported. But after they were, deputies said they arranged for the girl and the husband to speak in a recorded phone call. He admitted to the sexual battery, addressed her pregnancy concerns and apologized to the girl, according to the arrest report.

Deputies said they also examined several cell phones and found that the couple communicated about the allegations with the girl via text.

Sarah Adams’ position at the state agency, and her failure to report the abuse in a “timely” manner, according to the arrest report, led to the charge of failing to report child abuse or neglect.

Department of Children and Families officials on Friday said they would issue a statement about Adams, but had not released one as of Friday evening. Her employment status at the agency was unclear.

The Sheriff’s Office asked that a high bail be set for the couple because of “the severity of the charges and the defendant’s contact with other juveniles due to her employment.”

Thomas Adams was being held Friday in the Pasco County jail in lieu of $200,000 bail. Sarah Adams is being held in lieu of $370,000 bail.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/dcf-employee-husband-accused-sexually-233500804.html

Inspector General Report Reveals Elaine Chao Violated Federal Ethics Laws

By Michelle Edwards March 4, 2021

A report released Wednesday by the Department of Transportation Office of Inspector General revealed that former Secretary of Transportation Elaine Chao, Senator Mitch McConnell’s wife, repeatedly used her office staff for personal tasks and to promote the reputation of her family’s shipping business, the Foremost Group, which is responsible for “orders at one of China’s biggest state-funded shipyards, and had secured long-term charters with a Chinese state-owned steel maker.”

In December, the department’s watchdog asked the Justice Department to criminally investigate Elaine Chao over concerns that she misused her office while transportation secretary under President Donald Trump. Two Justice Department divisions declined to pursue any charges. However, the IG determined that Chao, who resigned from her cabinet position on Jan. 7, used her staff and office for personal tasks and to promote the Foremost Group in a blatant violation of federal ethics rules.

The IG’s report discloses that Chao engaged in four kinds of ethics violations. Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-N.Y.), chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, said in a statement late Wednesday that the IG’s report and relevant documents “demonstrate that Secretary Chao used her official position and taxpayer resources for the benefit of herself and her family.” Maloney added, “Secretary Chao’s flagrant abuse of her office provides further evidence that additional ethics and transparency reforms are needed.”

In 2019, recent shipping data showed that more than 70 percent of Foremost’s freight (mostly iron ore) goes to China. The cargo helps support China’s industrial movement, which produces steel products, a topic of dispute in the deepening trade war between the U.S. and the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Foremost represents itself as a modest international business whose focus on China is no different than any other dry bulk carrier has in a market controlled by Chinese manufacturing.

House Transportation Chair Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), one of two lawmakers who requested the investigation, welcomed the report but criticized its timing and the lack of consequences for Chao. DeFazio said in a statement, “While I commend the Department of Transportation’s Office of Inspector General for conducting this review, I am disappointed that it was not completed and released while Secretary Chao was still in office. I am even more disappointed that the Department of Justice declined to further pursue the matters that the IG’s office substantiated in its investigation.”

https://uncoverdc.com/2021/03/04/inspector-general-report-reveals-elaine-chao-violated-federal-ethics-laws/