Bills seek to warn mail-order brides

By Susanna Ray

Herald Writer

OLYMPIA — Inspired in part by the death of a Mountlake Terrace mail-order bride, state legislators want to ensure that other foreign mail-order brides know more about their prospective husbands before they marry them and move to Washington.

Several bills considered Tuesday attempt to shed light on the mail-order bride industry, which some maligned as a form of human trafficking.

"We are the first state in the nation to address this problem legislatively," said Rep. Velma Veloria, D-Seattle. "It is the first step toward ending the modern day form of slavery."

Playing a central role in the debate Tuesday was the death of Anastasia King, a 20-year-old mail-order bride from Kyrgyzstan. Her husband, 40-year-old Indle King Jr., is on trial for her murder.

Two of the bills, HB 2667 and SB 6412, would require international matchmaking services to show women in other countries the results of criminal background checks and marital histories, in the woman’s native language, of any Washington state men interested in them. The men would have to pay for the Washington State Patrol background checks themselves. If the companies didn’t comply, they could be charged under the Consumer Protection Act.

A task force would be created under two other bills, HB 2381 and SB 6407, to study the scope of human trafficking in Washington and recommend how best to assist the victims. The task force would serve without compensation, keeping costs down to about $25,000 — an important issue in this tight budget year. The bills would also expand the Crime Victims Compensation Act so victims of trafficking could be eligible for medical and mental health treatment.

These bills would be the first such state laws in the country, said Heather Morton of the bipartisan National Conference of State Legislatures.

Maryland legislators failed to get a similar task force bill through last year.

Supporters of the Washington bills said they don’t know for sure if human trafficking is more of an issue here than in than in other states. But the local waterways and metropolitan areas and proximity to an international border are exactly what traffickers look for, said Rani Hong of Olympia, who said she was sold by a family friend as a child in her native India.

"I believe that the mail-order bride industry is a subset of the trafficking industry," said Sen. Jeanne Kohl-Welles, D-Seattle. She quickly added that some men use the service legitimately to seek bona fide mates.

Most mail-order brides come from the Philippines, but there has been a recent increase in those from the former Soviet Union, she said. They are mostly poor, young women who want to come to the United States to improve their lives.

"Unfortunately, they frequently fall prey to individuals who might have a more unsavory intent," she testified Tuesday. Supporters told stories of abuse and forced prostitution or servitude.

Sen. Jeri Costa, D-Marysville, began working on the issue with Veloria and Kohl-Welles after the 1995 murder of foreign bride Susana Blackwell.

Blackwell’s husband shot and killed her along with her unborn baby and two friends at the King County Courthouse after she filed divorce papers.

When Anastasia King’s strangled body was found in a shallow grave in Costa’s hometown in December 2000, Costa decided legislative action was needed and organized a luncheon in Olympia to get the process rolling.

Costa and others said the only obstacles they see to getting the bills passed is time, since it’s a short, 60-day session this year. Committee members expressed support for the legislation, and no one testified against them at Tuesday’s public hearings.

But so far, the matchmaking industry has been unaware of lawmakers’ plans.

The president of one of the biggest mail-order bride companies in the country responded with shock when told of the proposal to require background checks for would-be grooms.

"I lived in Russia for more than a year, and I’ve never seen anything like that. And we think we’re the land of the free," said John Adams, president of A Foreign Affair based in Phoenix, Ariz.

Adams, who is also a customer of his company, having been married to a Russian woman for three years, said he’d fly out to Olympia to testify against the bill at its next hearing in the House, if it gets that far.

"These are adults, working, living and communicating in the real adult world of life, love and relationships, and I’m not sure those people would appreciate the heavy finger of government coming into their lives," said the company’s co-owner, Ron Redburn.

Men pay $95 a month to A Foreign Affair for access to a database of 20,000 women from all around the world. But all the company does is provide contact information, Redburn said. It doesn’t regulate whether the users connect or not.

"We really have no idea of who’s contacting who," he said, which would make it impossible to comply with a law requiring they provide women with background check information on Washington men.

So if the bill gets through, he said, "I think I would just stop doing business in Washington."

It’s not yet clear that providing background information to prospective brides would change the outcomes, as bill sponsors are hoping.

"Had Anastasia King known that she was the second mail-order bride for Indle King, she may have thought twice," Veloria said during testimony in one of the hearings.

But correspondence between the couple before they married shows that Indle King had indeed told his bride-to-be about his previous marriage to another Russian woman. In addition, he had no prior felony convictions.

Herald writer Scott North contributed to this report.

You can call Herald Writer Susanna Ray at 360-586-3803 or send e-mail to ray@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

New Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce CEO CEO Wendy Poischbeg speaks at a kick off event on Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Everett Rising’: Wednesday’s chamber luncheon to showcase a new era of growth.

The Greater Everett Chamber of Commerce is beginning its efforts… Continue reading

The Edmonds School District building on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Lynnwood, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Edmonds School District faces estimated $8.5 million deficit

The shortfall is lower than previous years, but the effects are “cumulative,” Superintendent Rebecca Miner said.

Hundreds rally against Trump on Presidents Day in Everett

People lined Broadway with signs and flags, similar to other protests across the country

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.