Family court is supposed to serve the best interests of the child. Too often, it serves the convenience of adults instead. In my family’s case in Anoka County, Minnesota, what I believe to be medical manipulation and misuse of state programs has been treated as “collateral” in court filings by my ex-sister-in-law, Amy.
Minnesotans with disabilities or chronic illnesses who require certain levels of care may qualify for the state’s home and community-based waiver programs under the Minnesota Department of Human Services’ home and community-based service waivers.
Meanwhile, two children remain in danger because the court operates on a different timeline than the Minnesota Department of Human Services, the Office of Inspector General, and the State Attorney’s Office, allowing process and procedure to take precedence over truth.
I want to be clear about who I am. I am not the parent — I am the uncle of these two children. I love them, and I helped raise them alongside my mother from birth. Their parents are my twin brother, Marco Antonio Albino, and his now ex-wife, Amy Denice Albino.
My niece and nephew are 13-year-old twins who should be worrying about middle school, not whether the adults in their lives are telling the truth about their health. But here we are. Because when children are being harmed, silence is not an option.
For years, Amy has relied on Minnesota’s PCA (Personal Care Assistant) system. From what I observed, she exaggerated the children’s needs to qualify for services and payments. To an outsider, it might look like “extra help.” To those of us close to the situation, it often meant unnecessary treatment, questionable reports, and a cycle where financial incentives outweighed the children’s well-being.
The Early Warning Signs
Looking back, the signs were there all along. The red flags started long before the custody battles. Even before the twins were born, Amy chose to fly during her third trimester. This went against common medical guidance and raised serious concerns for the safety of both her and the unborn children.
Once the children were infants, the risks continued. Family members observed her giving them substances that appeared to sedate them, even before they were on solid food. That alarmed us deeply because we understood no doctor would condone it.
As they grew, the pattern only deepened. Medical records and family observations suggest Dennis was given migraine medication that left him sick, throwing up, and with headaches, making his condition appear worse than it truly was. Over the years, the children underwent a high volume of medical appointments and treatments that, in my view, did not align with their actual health needs and instead supported the version of events Amy presented to providers.
What should have been a safe childhood became a performance staged for paperwork and payments.
The Courtroom Impact
From my perspective, Amy used the legal system to her advantage. In court, the scope of hearings felt narrow, with opposing counsel often downplaying concerns, and agencies acknowledged issues but moved slowly to address them. In the gaps between delay and deflection, the children remained in harm’s path.
I’m not their parent, but I am family, and I’m part of their lives. When children you love are being harmed, you can’t stand by. The law may say I don’t automatically have “standing,” but I’ve asked the court to let me intervene. Now I wait to see whether the judge will allow my voice and the evidence I’ve collected into the courtroom. Because if silence is all that’s expected of me, then the system is protecting paperwork, not children.
A Larger Failure
This isn’t just my family’s story. It’s part of a larger, well-documented failure in our system. Minnesota has prosecuted major PCA and Medicaid fraud cases — including the horrific Borders case in 2025, where a mother defrauded Medicaid while physically and medically harming her children (at times drawing their blood to create false symptoms).
To me, the pattern in my family’s case looks disturbingly similar: questions of medication misuse, signs of staged illness, and children who appeared to be made sick while financial benefits flowed. If it could happen there, it can happen here.
The state has already acknowledged that these systems are vulnerable to abuse, yet when the same warning signs appear in family court, they’re often treated as distractions. Agencies investigate on one track while custody proceedings move ahead on another, splitting the truth and leaving children unprotected.
Why I’m Writing
I’m writing this because I believe sunlight matters. Silence allows people to continue harming others. And I refuse to let my niece and nephews’ voices be drowned out by legal maneuvers and professional excuses.
Family court claims to serve the best interests of the child. If that principle means anything, it must include listening when children are being put in harm’s way — no matter who brings the evidence forward.
If you’ve read this far, please share this story. Shine a light on how the system works …and how it fails. The more people understand, the harder it becomes for courts and agencies to ignore the truth.
Awareness is protection. And these kids need all the protection they can get.
A Broader Warning
This isn’t only about my niece and nephew. It’s a warning to other families across Minnesota: if the court can overlook fraud and manipulation here, it can ignore it anywhere. What happened in the Borders case shows how quickly abuse can hide inside “the system,” and my family’s case shows how easily the process can leave those raising alarms feeling unheard.
I plan to follow up and share more case details as proceedings move forward, because accountability depends on memory and record. The children deserve to have their truth remembered, not buried.
Disclaimer:
The information in this post reflects my personal experiences, observations, and opinions. References to court proceedings, medical concerns, and agency actions are based on publicly available records and my understanding of events. Nothing here should be taken as a legal conclusion or medical diagnosis. Readers are encouraged to review official documents and news sources for verification.
Awareness is protection — and these kids need it.
Sagely Salvaged 