True Life kidnapping
After 12 years of distancing herself from a real-life experience of being kidnapped and held for ransom in Russia, Bornstein has revealed her story—right into the nonfiction section of bookstores everywhere. Believing that the value of her story goes beyond sensationalism, Bornstein said, "It is a parable of survival that can inspire anyone who reads it, especially women who have been conditioned to believe they cannot survive an ordeal in which they are powerless." Author Mark Ribowsky, fascinated by Bornstein’s amazing courage, approached Yvonne to co-write her story. Ribowsky has several highly acclaimed biographies that have been published, including one based on record producer Phil Spector, who was charged with the murder of an actress. Her rescue, the result of an historic event, makes Bornstein’s story especially intriguing. For the first time in history the FBI, Russian intelligence agencies and Australian federal police cooperated in a criminal investigation. The U.S. State Department called it ". . . an unprecedented cooperation." In 1992, Bornstein was living in her native country of Australia, married to former husband Daniel Weinstock. The couple owned a prosperous business in commodity trading. Business trips overseas eventually led the couple to establish various joint ventures between their company and several Russian organizations in the bartering and trading of goods. The Russians provided natural resources (such as fertilizer, copper and steel) in exchange for consumer goods. Russian organizations had to be bribed to get the goods out of the former Soviet Union. When a portion of the bribe money owed to a Russian organization hadn’t been paid because it ended up in the hands of a thief posing as a business associate, Yvonne and Danny Weinstock became the targets of greed and corruption. On Jan. 6th 1992, the couple landed at Sherymetova Airport in Moscow and were met by a strange man who was to escort them to their office. They were driven in an old Mercedes Benz and headed away from the airport. Ten minutes later, after the driver pulled onto a dirt road out in the middle of nowhere, a black sedan pulled up behind them. Their world was then turned upside down. Bornstein was dragged violently by the hair by two men yielding guns and knives and shoved into the second car. An hour later, Bornstein found herself inside an old house that resembled something from "Fiddler on the Roof," crawling with people she described as "a dangerous version of characters from the Addams Family." "I was met at the front door by nine burly men " Bornstein said. "They carried guns . . . and the babushka (an old woman at the house) immediately began banging nails into the front door to fortify it." For 11 days Bornstein was beaten, tortured and raped. Members of the gang demanded $1.6 million while they held the Weinstocks’ prisoner. The couple promised the captors that a phone call to relatives in the US would expedite the arrival of the ransom money. Fortunately, their captors believed them. With survival mechanisms kicking in, Weinstock speaking in a robotic like voice, phoned his brother-in-law in New Jersey, who in turn contacted the local FBI office.It was on the 11th day at 4 a.m., while Bornstein was upstairs in a room asleep, that she woke up to loud noises. One of the women in the house burst into her room and demanded that she gather up her belongings, most of which had been stolen, and go downstairs. Thinking that she was about to be murdered, Bornstein reached for a bottle of Valium she had in her bag, swallowing a handful of pills. She didn’t want to feel the pain of being killed. As she was making her way downstairs, she saw a large group of men in military uniforms charge into the house, screaming as they pointed machine guns at the captors. Bornstein was then taken to the Ministry of Interior Police station.
Bornstein, while researching her book, learned that the captors were Chechen rebels with ties to Al-Qaeda terrorists.
Bornstein spent years struggling with the emotional and psychological wounds created from the kidnapping. She eventually divorced Weinstock and later moved to the U.S. after meeting and marrying Sam Bornstein, who enabled her to finally talk about her horrific experience.
Robert Burns' first daughter was Elizabeth. Her story and the five descendants Scottish lives are recorded here with the Bard's message today as ever in need. Al Quida listen: Then let us pray that come it may, As come it will for a' that. That Sense
Margaret Kohel Evans invites her mother's grandchildren to a delightful visit with their grandmother, sharing charming memories of her across eighteen life themes.
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