Bobby Fijnje was a 14-year-old who babysat at his family's church in Florida. He spent two years in adult prison before being acquitted in 1991 of charges that he'd molested the children in his care. His parents were urged to accept a plea deal for their son, and told that he would likely contract AIDS in prison. When they proclaimed their son's innocence, false stories were leaked to the media that accused them of being child pornographers and drug dealers. The jury was so disturbed by the conduct of the case that they wrote to Florida Attorney General Janet Reno:

There was a high degree of improbability of certain allegations raised against the defendant. For instance, alleging that he [Bobby Fijnje] drove a child to the American Foreign Legion Hall, when no representative of that facility saw the defendant on the premises. And the fact that no adult ever saw the defendant drive a car, a task that he claims he has yet to attempt.

Other allegations have the defendant taking children where there were witches and in which he dressed as a clown. Again, no one ever saw anyone dressed as a witch nor the defendant as a clown. Further allegations of a baby being killed and a cat's neck being broken were unfounded.

From Concerned Citizens for Legal Accountability:

The following letter was written by the father of Bobby Fijnje, a 14 year-old boy who met up with Janet Reno's style of "child protection." This "Open Letter to the American People" documents his family's reaction when they heard with disbelief that Janet Reno had been nominated to head the Justice Department. For more info about this case, see: Armbrister, T., JUSTICE GONE CRAZY, Reader's Digest, Jan. 1994, p. 33-40.

To the American people and their government:

It is with surprise, shock, dismay, and anger that the Fijnje family learned of the nomination of Janet Reno as Attorney General of the United States of America. After reading this letter I hope you will understand why our family feels that way. I would like to describe how Ms. Reno persecuted our family.

After serving the government in Curacao, Netherlands Antilles, for almost 25 years, we decided that it would be a good experience for our children Nanette and Bobby, Jr., to settle in Miami, Florida.

We bought a house there and the children entered school. We wanted to make our new home our fatherland. When we arrived in Miami, Nanette was 8 and Bobby was 5. In late 1981 we joined Old Cutler Presbyterian Church, in which the whole family participated in almost all church activities. I was honored to serve the church for three years as deacon and three more years as an elder. For eight years I sang in the choir, while my wife Vivian joined the bible classes, worked in the kitchen, and helped in other ways. The kids went to Sunday-school classes, and when the time came, they became members of the congregation. Neither Vivian nor I was ever called to school or church because of any misbehavior of either of the children. Nanette graduated from high school and entered Dade Community College. Bobby was given an award as the best all-around student of his class when he graduated from 6th grade. But in the fall of 1988 dark clouds began to gather.

We did not know what accusations were being made or who the accusers were. Imagine our shock when, on the morning of 28 August 1989, I opened the door and four policemen identified themselves and told me that they would like to talk to Bobby. One of the four, Detective Martinez, told me that although they had no search warrant, they wanted to search Bobby's room for pornography. I told them there was no need to get a warrant and that they could go ahead and search the room. We later learned that Detective Martinez had obtained an arrest warrant for Bobby three days previously, but he told us that he had only come to "talk to him." Two policemen turned Bobby's room upside down and of course found no pornography because we have no such trash in our home.

I rode with Bobby, Detective Martinez, and Lieutenant Forster to the police station where Bobby was interrogated from noon until dinner time. I was with him for the first two hours, but I was then told that I must leave the room because Detective Martinez wanted to talk to him alone.

On the evening of 28 August 1989, two months after his 14th birthday, Bobby was taken to the Dade Juvenile Detention Center. He remained there until 4 May 1991 when he was released. During the frequent recesses which occurred throughout the preliminary hearings and trial, Bobby was held in solitary confinement in a holding cell at the courthouse. During Bobby's imprisonment, we twice asked for him to be released on bond, the second time in the care of his aunt and uncle (a retired Connecticut State Supreme Court judge), but this was refused because "Bobby was a threat to the community" and because it was said that our family would flee the country. Bobby pleaded not guilty, and was tried as an adult on the motion of the Dade County prosecutor's office, headed by Ms. Reno.

The pre-trial hearings finally began in early August 1990 with Judge Norman Gerstein presiding. Pre-trial hearings lasted until the middle of January 1991, at which time a jury was selected. Before and during the trial, we were repeatedly urged to accept a plea-bargain and warned of the dangers Bobby faced in prison. We were told that he would have AIDS within a week after entering prison. We were told what a horrible time he would have in prison, where the jailers are mere administrators and the prison is actually ruled by the prisoners. But we knew Bobby was innocent, and we refused to accept a plea bargain.

During the trial, not a single witness ever testified that he or she had seen anything improper. Over 800 members of the church stepped forward and offered to testify on Bobby's behalf. At least 14 motions for mis-trial were filed by Bobby's lawyers, Mr. Mel Black and Mr. Peter Miller. Over 500 sidebar conferences were held in this case, which cost the taxpayers well over $3 million, money that could have been used to feed the poor, improve public health, or shelter the many homeless people who roam the streets of Miami. Instead, this money was spent on the longest trial ever held in Dade County, all in an effort to send an innocent boy to jail for life.

On the morning of 4 May 1991, the jury advised Judge Gerstein that a verdict had been reached, but we waited an hour and a half for that verdict to be read. Judge Gerstein advised our lawyer that we must wait for Ms. Reno's arrival. She wanted to be present when the verdict was read.

Bobby was acquitted on all counts.

During this period, our family had to endure daily attacks and lies in the newspapers and on television. My wife and I were accused of being drug dealers and ringleaders in a child pornography business. Death threats were sent to us and left on our telephone answering machine. In addition to local and county police departments, the FBI was also called in to investigate us. Unmarked police cars cruised through our street, while a police helicopter with a searchlight flew overhead at night. Television reporters knocked on every door and window in the house, but we refused to give interviews because we believed that the media would not truthfully report them.

Ms. Janet Reno was the Dade County Prosecutor at the time of the investigation and prosecution of our son, and as such she must bear the primary responsibility for what was done to him. Is Ms. Reno the right person to head the United States Justice Department? Is she really a crusader against child abuse? Is she aware the she abused my son by her actions and robbed him of one year, eight months, and one week of his life?

I urge President Clinton and the American people to be wary of giving her this high office. Any one of the 260 million Americans might run the risk of having the same thing happen to them as happened to our son. If our efforts save even one innocent child from Bobby's fate, it will have been worth the trouble. We pray that President Clinton will hear the lone voice of a family that has suffered at the hands of Ms. Reno.

In spite of all the injustices done to our family during this period, we wish the people of the United States well.

Sincerely, B. Fijnje, Sr. The Netherlands