Sue Scheff, PURE, and Others Accused of Fraud by Florida Parents:
“Horrific Acts of Child Abuse” Alleged at Children’s Academy

Written by: Paula Reeves
Copyright 2007
www.paulareeves.com

BROWARD COUNTY, FLORIDA (August 12, 2007): As the sun sets on one case after another involving Sue Scheff and her one-person company, PURE (Parents Universal Resource Experts), another case looms on the horizon.

The case filed by the Green family in late July 2007 alleges that Scheff, “[S]et up PURE based on the business model of a Utah entity known as WWASP [World Wide Association of Specialty Programs],” an organization to which Scheff referred children and against whom Scheff later engaged in protracted litigation. The civil complaint alleges that Scheff lied about the money she received from private children’s programs and, instead, pretended to be “a volunteer who used proceeds from a successful lawsuit and from a trust fund to support her work and her organization . . . .”

The complaint alleges that other defendants, Boyd Hooper followed Scheff’s lead and likewise misrepresented that he was an “education specialist.” In reality, Hooper was Scheff’s public relations agent and fees were paid to Scheff and others, according to the complaint.

Focal Point Academy in Mesquite, Nevada is the place to which Scheff referred the Green family, according to the case. Focal Point was reportedly marketed by Scheff as a therapeutic boarding school. It was later discovered that Focal Point was not licensed as a school, but as a foster home, with no foster children present.

The Greens were willing to spend more than $5,000 a month for their son to receive the intensive psychiatric help they felt he needed. Instead, their son was reportedly not provided the specialized treatment promised by Scheff, Hooper, and Focal Point. They say their child was beaten and subjected to perverted sexual acts by other “students” that continued even after Focal Point Academy was notified. Focal Point reportedly refused to notify authorities.

The defendants’ answers to the allegations have not yet been filed. The defendants are expected to deny all assertions of fraud and breach of fiduciary duties.

Like her counterpart, WWASP, Scheff has been in litigation a number of times where others have made accusations of fraud and deceit. This time, however, it appears that trouble may be brewing for Scheff.