Define American
Bruce Stewart


Dianne Stewart

Letters of Recommendation

The following letters were received by the Stewart's during 2006/7 in support of their previous problems with their visa status.




A letter dated December 18, 2006, sent to Senator Elizabeth Dole on behalf of the Stewart's from Todd Croy and Deanna Valeo, of American Home Mortgage, 6100 Fairview Rd, Suite 105, Charlotte, NC 28210. Phone 704-554-4966.

Dear Ms. Dole:

This letter is in support of a friend of mine as well as a colleague.  My wife and I have known Dianne and her family since she moved to Charlotte from South Africa almost five years ago they have been active in the community, have performed charitable deeds, are tax payers and are a good family oriented influence on our community. 

If you could provide some guidance or intervene on their part with the immigration authorities they have a story that makes sense to overrule the bureaucracy.  I grew up in Kansas and know that you and your husband are common sense people.  We are not asking for anything except a calm mind that can hear a person’s story and apply common logic.

The Stewart's exude the very nature of American drive.  They saw that they would need to leave South Africa for their children and made the move to our country to provide them with a better place.  They also entered the country legally and with the understanding with hard work they could have the American dream from themselves and their family. 

We wholeheartedly would endorse their being part of our country and hope that you will help us give them a hand.

My best to you and Bob this Christmas season,

Sincerely,

Todd Croy

Charlotte, NC
Kansas State University – 1986

www.valeocroyteam.com



LINDA GRIFFITH

4407 Oglukian Road

Charlotte, NC 28226

January 5, 2007

To Whom It May Concern

As a concerned citizen of the United States of America I wish to draw your attention to the most awful misfortune my very dear friend Dianne Stewart and her family are being subjected to in Charlotte, NC.  

Dr Bruce Stewart is a specialist in advanced reading skills. He came to Charlotte with his wife and two children in 2001, on an L1-visa, and they have a home in Providence Plantation in Charlotte.  In 2004, for the management of their continued legal status in this country, they were encouraged to support a Charlotte business and retained the services of an Immigration Attorney / CPA / Authorized CIS Representative – Shante Smith of American Professional Services.

It now transpires that Ms Smith is a trickster that preys on the immigrant community. Through lies, deceit, fraud and the issuance of bogus CIS approval notices, Ms Smith continued to obtain funding from the Stewart's by convincing them that their L1-visas had been renewed and that the CIS had granted them permanent residence. Naturally they had no reason to doubt her due to her professional status and as you may well be aware, potential immigrants place their trust and literally their lives and well-fare in the hands of recognized individuals who are qualified in dealing with their clients legal status.

The truth of the matter is that after years of legal status in the USA, the Stewart's now find themselves “out of status” and the CIS appears to be more concerned in punishing the Stewart's for being victims of fraud by a CIS representative, than it does in righting a wrong. The full story is at www.KeepTheStewartsInCharlotte.com

Bruce and Dianne Stewart have thrown themselves wholeheartedly into their community since their arrival in Charlotte in 2001. Bruce opened the American office for their international speed reading business, and has been sought after by private individuals, small business and behemoth banking clients alike, there is no limit to his capabilities in the field of reading instruction. Dianne, has thrown herself, her energies and her communication skills into the local community at every level. She is a whirlwind of energy focused on contributing at every level, be it in a personal or corporate capacity. Her long list of worthy accolades is quite enough to highlight her value to the country, let alone the local community. Their children are a credit to their parenting, and like their parents are involved at many levels within their school communities and extra-curricularly.

But perhaps more notable is the way they responded to the new challenges in the wake of September 11, 2001. Several business opportunities that originally provided the impetus to move to the United States were cancelled as a result of 9/11 as many large institutions re-trenched their international corporate training programs. Yet Bruce and Dianne refocused and have patiently rebuilt their lives and their business.

The strength of America lies in the character and talents of many people from around the world who invested their families and their future here. The Stewart's have made a great leap, taking them from family, security and past careers, to start anew in the United States. In doing so, they have brought their skills and committed fully to their community.  They do not deserve this type of American hospitality – to become victims of dishonesty and deceit, masquerading in the guise of an immigration lawyer and an authorized representative of the very agency that has now declared them to be illegal.

As a U S Citizen I am personally outraged at this situation, as I am sure you must be.  I fully endorse your stand on ‘illegals’ but am confident that you will appreciate the uniqueness of this situation and that you will do all in your power to secure fairness and justice for this family that has become so treasured by so many people in this community and in this country.

Yours sincerely

Linda Griffith


December 18, 2006

To whom it may concern:

This letter is written on behalf of Bruce and Dianne Stewart and their family. They live at 5617 Providence Glen Road, Charlotte, NC 28270.

We are writing this testimonial letter because these are high quality professional people who have, through no fault of their own, become the prey of an unscrupulous “attorney” and representative of the Immigration Service. It is absolutely not fair what has happened to them. Their story can be seen on the website of: www.KeepTheStewartsInCharlotte.com

We have known the Stewarts for over two years – and find them to be highly ethical people. They are warm, friendly, and hospitable. They take time to care for the needs of others. We can attest to the fact that by living and working here in America, they are a positive asset to our nation, state of North Carolina, and city of Charlotte.

Consider our voices of this testimony to be true in spirit and substance. These dear people need a break from the unscrupulous assault that has been leveled against their innocent lives.

Sincerely,

Gary & Robbie Arvidson
2451 County Line Road
Kings Mountain, NC 28086

(704) 435-0188


Attention : Representative Sue Myrick

I, Yasmine Nerone, would like to draw your attention to a serious injustice that is taking place in Charlotte NC. I am upset and outraged about this situation, and hope it can be rectified.

Dr Bruce Stewart is a specialist in advanced reading skills. He came to Charlotte with his wife and two children in 2001, on an L1-visa, and they have made it home here, owning a house in Providence Plantation.  In 2004, for their continued legal status in this country, they were encouraged to support a Charlotte business and retained the services of an Immigration Attorney / CPA / Authorized CIS Representative – Shante Smith of American Professional Services.

It now transpires that Ms Smith, through lies, deceit, fraud and the issuance of bogus CIS approval notices, obtained, continued funding from the Stewart's by convincing them that their L1-visas had been renewed and that the CIS had granted them permanent residence.

In truth after years of legal status in the USA, the Stewart's now find themselves “out of status” AND the CIS appears to be more concerned in punishing the Stewart's for being victims of fraud by a CIS representative, than it does in righting a wrong. The full story is at www.KeepTheStewartsInCharlotte.com

I have known Bruce and Dianne Stewart and their two children since their arrival in Charlotte in 2001.  They opened a USA office for their international speed reading and reading development business.  Bruce is a remarkable instructor and trainer, with excellent references from various companies and institutions.  His wife, Dianne is just as dynamic, when she is not assisting Bruce; she is very active in the local community.

Their response to the new challenges in the wake of September 11, 2001, is impressive, never giving up.   Several business opportunities that originally provided the impetus to move to the United States were cancelled as a result of 9/11 as many large institutions re-trenched their international corporate training programs. Yet Bruce and Dianne refocused and have patiently rebuilt their lives and their business.

The strength of America lies in educated people of good character that are not a burden on our society.  The Stewart's have invested all their efforts and resources for the last 6 years to make Charlotte their home.  They have, not only brought their skills but are also highly thought of in their community.  They do not deserve to become victims of dishonesty and deceit, masquerading in the guise of an immigration lawyer and an authorized representative of the very agency that has now declared them to be illegal.

As a U S Citizen I am personally outraged at this situation, as I am sure you must be.  I fully endorse your stand on ‘illegals’ but am confident that you will appreciate the uniqueness of this situation and that you will do all in your power to secure fairness and justice for this family that has become so treasured by so many people in this community and in this country.

Yours sincerely,

Yasmine Nerone
890 15th Street #75
Newport Beach CA 92663
Tel (949) 646-4242 ext 2081


Monday December 18th, 2006

I am writing to you with regard to the outrageous situation surrounding the Stewart family in Charlotte. I met Dianne and Bruce shortly after they came to the USA. I have studied with Bruce and been involved in a professional women’s group with Dianne.To my mind, these are exactly the kind of people we want to have as immigrants to this country. They are people of exceptional quality with something unique to offer our culture and economy.

As I recall, Dianne’s clients while living in South Africa included the government of South Africa and DeBeers. Unfortunately, I’m not familiar with her client list here. Bruce’s client list includes federal agencies and a variety of businesses and educational institutions.

I know that these people love the US and are thrilled to be here and looking forward to citizenship. I am totally confident that they did everything they were supposed to do.They apparently have documentation to support that.

The only just way to deal with their situation is to allow them to complete what they thought was done in 2004 and also prosecute the person who so seriously abused them. I would suggest that everything be dealt with as if it had been done in 2004.

I have little sympathy for those who “break in” to this country. I have been a sponsor of two immigrants from Ethiopia (Eretria) and believe our current system is terribly broken.

The Stewarts are among those who have been trying to do things correctly and must be treated accordingly.

Sincerely,

Elsie Smoluk, member
Sweet Union Republican Womens Club and Union County Republican Forum



These letters were requested in 2003 & May 2004 from business associates in support of our renewal preparations for our L-1 visa renewal applications.