This story is not really unusual for Bali. For a mother to victimize her own husband and children with documents obtained from the earliest days of the marriage is extreme, but collusion by police, public officials and lawyers to defraud foreign investors is common.

Indonesia has made great progress under President Yudhoyono in reforming the notoriously corrupt legal system, Reformasi in Indonesian.

But Bali with its easy flow of money from dewy-eyed foreign investors, many of whom cannot speak even basic Indonesian, is largely beyond control of the authorities in Jakarta. The U.S. government has experienced similar problems trying to stamp out the narcotics trade; when large sums of money are involved it is almost impossible to stop people from targeting it.

More surprising is the passionate reaction of many foreign residents, or expatriates, living in Bali. In general, most Balinese and Indonesians, other than those directly involved in the suspected frauds, have supported me. Some foreigners support Made Jati.

In a declaration to the California court in 2008, Made Jati stated “But for the overwhelming support that I have received from my family, friends and the Balinese community I would not have survived this ordeal. Attached are…only a handful of the numerous declarations which have been written on my behalf in the hopes that I will be able to see my children. There is now a special support group in Bali called “Made's Angels” made up of friends, associates and people from the community whose goal is for the truth of this matter to come out.”

The letters were almost all from expatriates and contained wildly inaccurate interpretations of the situation and often violently abusive remarks about me. Made Jati had of course already been ordered by the court to see her children, contrary to the statements of Made's Angels, but she fled California before the court could cross examine her about the Angels letters.

There is clearly tremendous rage among foreign residents, not because frauds were apparently committed and covered up with the assistance of legal authorities but because I stayed in Bali and fought the case.