Mancuso is very capable, willing and well-prepared to provide a stable and loving home.' Instead, Mancuso's agency relied on a home study prepared by a Pittsburgh social worker. 'It doesn't appear that they talked to anybody about Mancuso, that they simply took what Mancuso said to them at face value and placed this child with him,' said Maureen Flatley, a lobbyist who specializes in adoption and child welfare. She has also been hired by Masha's lawyer to find out how a pedophile could have adopted a young child. Tom Atwood, president of the National Council on Adoption, says he saw the study that was performed on Mancuso, and said it was 'fairly typical.' But he adds that Masha's adoption is not defensible. 'Something went wrong, clearly.' Adoption experts are especially troubled by the fact that, according to Masha, there were no home visits when she got to Pittsburgh. Just one, they say should have turned up some disturbing details - like the fact that Masha had no bedroom.
