US arrests couple who used daughter as 'gift'

A couple has been charged with child endangerment after police determined they "gifted" their 14-year-old daughter to a man in exchange for financial support.

Lee Kaplan. Photo: Lower Southampton Police Department.

Authorities arrested Lee Kaplan on June 16 in Feasterville, Pennsylvania, after receiving an anonymous complaint regarding the health and welfare of children living at his home. Police found 12 girls, ranging in age from 6 months to 18 years old.

Fox10 reported that Kaplan had ties to an Amish family that was about to lose their farm. The family decided to give their eldest daughter, then 14, to Kaplan in exchange for help. The girl, now 18, told police that she and Kaplan had two children, ages three and six months.

Her father, Daniel Stoltzfus, is charged with conspiracy to commit sexual assault and child endangerment. Her mother, Savilla Stoltzfus, is charged with endangering the welfare of a child, and Kaplan faces charges of child sexual assault. All three are being held on $1 million bail.

The Stoltzfuss claimed that the other nine children in the Kaplan household were also theirs.

The 12 girls were turned over to a child protection and care agency, according to CBS News. Investigators are trying to determine what happened, including how Kaplan and the Stoltzfus met.

According to VNE