Financial Assistance For The Release Of Davin

Davin Arnoux has been living in Vietnam since January, teaching English.  He was playing poker in a club in Ho Chi Minh City around the corner from where he lived on June 30.  That night the poker club was raided by police as there was a large gambling ring in the establishment being run by 4 Korean men.  While he had no idea of what was happening and was only going to play a poker game, he was included in the multinational high stakes situation.  He was in the wrong place and the wrong time.   He has been imprisoned for over 2 months now and not allowed any contact with anyone other than the US Consulate twice.  For 2 months he was placed in cell with 12 Vietnamese men with no English skills and communication was difficult.  There were concerns for his safety and for his health.  Even though the investigator and prosecutor have said they do not believe Davin was involved, he needed to stay in the prison until the investigation was complete which could take months. 


Davin's family has  put in countless amounts of energy and funds in the US and in Vietnam working with the US Consulate, an attorney, even their senator's office in trying to navigate the Vietnamese judicial system and the customs of the country.  His brother put his life on hold to come to Ho Chi Minh City to help, his mother and aunt came briefly to meet directly with the attorney and US Consulate and pay bail and processing fees.  Davin is still incarcerated, but family has been told it is likely he can be released in next few weeks.  He will still need to stay in Vietnam until the investigation is done, report in weekly with the attorney and police.   It could be another 6-7 months for the investigation and the determination of what his sentence will be.


We are asking for $15,000 to assist with additional costs involved for the lawyer and for potential processing fees, and possible release fines.  There will likely be medical costs as the family has been advised he has had health issues while being incarcerated.  Also, Davin will need support from all of us as he recovers from this horrific trauma.  Thank you for any assistance you can offer.