Dr. Paul's Tsunami Orphans - Oh, Really?

Two months after Dr. K.A. Paul's "Secretary General" sent us a certified letter demanding we no longer contact them, Paul's organization sends us a press release about a little fundraiser his Alleged Orphan Dancers were supposed to put on in Atlanta on Tuesday. The press release reminds us that Paul (real name Anand Kilari) was one of the first folks to help out victims of the 2004 tsunami. He apparently is lugging around seven 12-year-old residents of an orphanage he supposedly runs in India to help raise funds for all the abandoned waifs in need. Problem is: The Martin Luther King, Jr. Center, where the kids are supposed to do their thang, had no record of such an activity scheduled for Tuesday. Kilari won't return phone calls, and folks at his Houston and D.C. offices know nothing about it. (The woman who answered the phone at his Houston "ministry," said "I just work here," as her excuse for not knowing anything about the Atlanta gig). Dennis Ryan, the "secretary general" in Kilari's D.C. office, said he had nothing to do with the planning of the Atlanta trip and couldn't answer questions. Then he hung up on us.

What we're trying to figure out is: are these young girls really orphans? Where are they staying? How long have they been here and how long will they stay? Who's caring for them? The woman who answered the phone in Houston — you know, the one who "just works" for Kilari — guaranteed us that the person driving these alleged urchins across state lines is legally certified to do so. Although, she doesn't know who that person is.

We'll let you know when we learn more. - Craig Malisow