SUSPECTS IN MONTH-OLD KIDNAPPING SOUGHT
Contra Costa Times
i_10081514
Aug 3 2008
CA
LOS ANGELES — Felony arrest warrants have been issued for two
brothers suspected of kidnapping their three sons a month ago,
a publicist hired by the boys’ mothers announced today.
The arrest warrants for George Silah and Jean John Silah were issued
Friday after the Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office determined they
may have abducted the children, according to Cherie Kerr of KerrPR.
A District Attorney spokesperson was not immediately available for
comment.
The mothers of the boys claim the two men have received threats against
their lives, and are worried because the three sons are apparently
with their fathers, according to the publicist.
John Silah, 47, picked up his child, 9-year-old Greg, from his ex-wife
for a summer vacation visit on June 23.
A court order obligated him to return Greg to his mother by July 2,
but he failed to do so.
Police noted that he had threatened to take their son to his home
nation of Syria in the past.
At the same time, George Silah, 46, had his two sons, Alexander,
12, and Zaven Silah, 8, at the home the brothers shared with their
parents in the 7300 block of West 81st Street.
He was scheduled to take his sons on a cruise on July 5, but never
made that cruise.
Police discovered that the brothers had not paid the rent for several
months and their home appeared abandoned.
There is a $500,000 bond on both brothers, according to the family
law attorney for the mothers of the missing children, Ronald Brot of
Brot & Gross in Sherman Oaks.
"These children have been missing since early July and we have
reason to believe they are in danger," Brot said. "We are hopeful
that with these warrants the pursuit of the children will be stepped
up considerably."
According to the mothers, the men left a trail of evidence pointing
to criminal acts, and are on the run from members of the Armenian
community. The mothers claim their ex-husbands bilked more than $5
million from Armenians.
They were last thought to be in a stolen, silver Infiniti G-35,
plate number 6DZS016.
Authorities do not believe the two fathers have left California.
Zanni Merguerian, mother of Alex and Zaven, and Christine Jeanbart,
mother of Greg, pleaded for the fathers to return their sons unharmed.
"We’re begging them to drop the children off in a safe place so they
may return home," said Zanni Merguerian.
"Our children must be terrified," said Christine Jeanbart.
"We have some reason to believe that the children may still be in
the United States," Brot said. "Our belief is based on the fact that
the mothers had refused to release the boys’ passports, though they
had been requested, and also because the identities of the brothers
and their sons have been posted on various government agency ‘watch
lists’ nationwide."
According to the mother’s publicist, the recent investigation of the
brothers’ abandoned home revealed that the brothers left in a hurry
sometime on or shortly after July 2, and George Silah’s girlfriend
disappeared at the same time.
The mothers’ fears are heightened in view of the fact that the
brothers’ parents left for Syria the week prior to the children’s
disappearance, and remain in Syria at this time.
According to the mothers, shredded documents were also found
of fake documents of immigration applications, other persons’
identification documents, passport photos, notes verifying alleged
illegal transactions for thousands of dollars, evidence of bank and
credit card fraud, and evidence of at least one firearm, shell casings,
ammunition and a manual for a Smith and Wesson revolver.
The men may have been involved in selling fake identities to people
entering the country illegally. Christine Jeanbart believes her
identity was sold by her ex-husband years earlier, based on an FBI
investigation which took place in 2000.
On July 24, a Superior Court judge determined that the three boys
had been abducted and wrongfully retained and awarded sole legal and
physical custody to the mothers.
The judge also cut off all visitation rights for the fathers and
ordered that an investigation be opened immediately by the Los Angeles
District Attorneys office to "locate, retrieve and return the minor
children" to their mothers.
Christine Jeanbart and her husband separated in June 2001 and their
divorce became final in October of 2003. Zanni Meguerian left her
husband in August 2004, and their divorce judgment was entered in
March 2006.
Both mothers are American citizens, as are their sons.
They are asking the public, organizations committed to finding abducted
children and the media for help.