Date Archives July 2019

Bukstein pleads guilty to violating restraining order

Kimberley Bukstein pleaded guilty yesterday in court to violating a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) filed against her in Dakota County by Michael Brodkorb.

Brodkorb was granted separate HROs against Kimberley and her husband Jay Bukstein in March after they relentlessly harassed Brodkorb for the past year. Kimberley and Jay Bukstein are supporters of Dede Evavold, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, and Michelle MacDonald.

The Buksteins are referenced in the award-winning true crime book,  The Girls Are Gone, which was written by Brodkorb and Allison Mann.

Both Kimberley and Jay Bukstein are also “qualified” Rule 114 ADR Neutrals for the Minnesota State Court Administrator’s Office.

Kimberley Bukstein was charged on May 30, 2019, with a misdemeanor for violating the HRO filed by Brodkorb. In a brief court appearance yesterday at the Dakota County Northern Service Center in West St. Paul, Minnesota, Bukstein pleaded guilty and was given one year of probation and ordered to pay a fine of $130. Bukstein was also 0rdered to have no contact with Brodkorb and remain law-abiding. Continue reading

Evavold appears in court on restraining order violation

Dede Evavold was arranged in court today on one criminal charge of violating a Harassment Restraining Order (HRO) filed against her in Dakota County by Michael Brodkorb. Evavold was charged in May after she attempted to contact Michael Brodkorb for assistance in restarting her blog after WordPress suspended it for violating their terms of service.

During a hearing this morning at the Dakota County Northern Service Center in West St. Paul, Minnesota, Evavold did not enter a plea and a pre-trial hearing was scheduled for October 31, 2019. Evavold was not represented by an attorney at today’s hearing.

Brodkorb was granted an HRO against Evavold last year for her involvement in surreptitiously obtaining and later distributing a photograph of Brodkorb’s wife and minor children online. Continue reading

MacDonald announces plans to run for office in 2020

Michelle MacDonald, who was labeled a “person of interest” in the disappearance of missing children and is currently under investigation by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility, announced today – in a lawsuit – that she “plans to run for office in 2020 and in the future.”

The news about MacDonald’s intention to seek public office in 2020 was buried in a 379-page lawsuit by MacDonald and other Minnesota Republicans challenging the constitutionality of a Minnesota law regarding endorsements for public office.

MacDonald was an unsuccessful candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2018, having previously lost two bids for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014 and 2016. One week after losing her third campaign for the Minnesota Supreme Court, MacDonald refused to rule out the possibility of running again in 2020 Continue reading

Yearlong investigation by lawyers board into MacDonald continues

The yearlong investigation by the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility into alleged violations by Michelle MacDonald of the Minnesota Rules of Professional Conduct governing licensed attorneys continues according to a letter from the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility.

The investigation into the alleged violations by MacDonald was opened last year after Missing in Minnesota filed a formal complaint with the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility in response to MacDonald filing a “frivolous and vexatious” lawsuit against Missing in Minnesota, which appeared to be in violation of an Order of the Minnesota Supreme Court which details the conditions by which MacDonald is allowed to practice law.

The lawsuit filed by MacDonald against Missing in Minnesota was dismissed in March by a judge in Ramsey County. MacDonald is appealing the dismissal of the lawsuit.

MacDonald was an unsuccessful candidate for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2018, having previously lost two bids for the Minnesota Supreme Court in 2014 and 2016. Continue reading

Tuesday: ABC’s ’20/20′ episode about Grazzini-Rucki

Tomorrow, July 9, 2019, at 8 AM (CST), Investigative Discovery (ID) will be broadcasting the episode of ABC’s “20/20” discussed in the award-winning true crime book,  The Girls Are Gone.

The episode about Sandra Grazzini-Rucki, called “Footprints in the Snow” was first broadcast on April 8, 2016, and was later rebroadcast on March 25, 2017. The episode has since been rebroadcast on multiple television networks over the last two years.

Grazzini-Rucki had tried to stop the rebroadcasts of the episode which found no documentation to verify Grazzini-Rucki’s claim that she was abused by David Rucki. Grazzini-Rucki had taken to Facebook, calling the show “rank propaganda” and encouraging people to register complaints.

In April 2017, Grazzini-Rucki announced she would be filing a defamation lawsuit against ABC, Inc, ABC’s “20/20”, and Elizabeth Vargas, the co-anchor of “20/20”. Grazzini-Rucki claimed she would be seeking “an ungodly amount” of money in her latest lawsuit, but the lawsuit was never filed. Continue reading

UPDATE: Grazzini-Rucki tried to stop college payments for her children

UPDATE (2:45 PM, Monday, July 8, 2019) – In a radio interview earlier today, Sandra Grazzini-Rucki denied she attempted to block her children from paying for their college education. Despite sending a letter to the courts requesting they “immediately stop” any payments from the trust for her children’s college expenses, Grazzini-Rucki said today “I was not blocking, I was only asking to be involved and know what was going on.”

Grazzini-Rucki also expressed frustrating that her letter to the court was made public. Continue reading

Fourth printing ordered of ‘The Girls Are Gone’

Michael Brodkorb and Allison Mann announced today that the fourth printing of their award-winning book The Girls Are Gone has been ordered.

The Girls Are Gone is published by Wise Ink Creative Publishing and was released on October 23, 2018. The book provides new details about the disappearance of Samantha and Gianna Rucki and the adults – including their mother Sandra Grazzini-Rucki – who conspired to keep the missing sisters and the truth hidden.

Since being released last October, The Girls Are Gone has been a commercial and critical success. The Kindle Edition of The Girls Are Gone has appeared on multiple “best seller” lists by Amazon.

The Girls Are Gone is a story of love, lies, passion, and perseverance,” said Allison Mann. “It was born out of our belief that the story of the Rucki family is too important not to tell. Bringing awareness to the issue and giving a voice to these victims was all the motivation we needed,” added Mann.

In April, Brodkorb and Allison Mann were awarded a 2019 Independent Publisher Book Award.

“From start to finish, The Girls Are Gone is a thrilling true crime read with shocking twists and unbelievable attention to detail,” said Jim Barnes, the director of the Independent Publisher Books Awards. “It’s everything we look for in a gold medal winner at IPPY, and we can’t wait to see what Michael and Allison will write next,” added Barnes. Continue reading