Pirates Indicted in Case Involving Killings of Jean and Scott Adam

A federal grand jury in Virginia has indicted 13 Somalis and one Yemeni with piracy and conspiracy to commit kidnapping for allegedly hijacking a yacht with four U.S. citizens aboard, including parishioners Jean and Scott Adam.

Jean and Scott Adam, as well as a Seattle couple who were aboard their yacht, Phyllis Macay and Robert Riggle, were before their release could be secured. The individuals had been on a worldwide sailing adventure that included distributing Bibles.

"This is a horrific crime involving the armed hijacking of an American ship and the slaughter of American citizens," U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Neil H. MacBride said in a statement. "The alleged pirates will now face justice in an American courtroom."

The indictment was returned Tuesday and remained sealed until the defendants made their initial appearances Thursday before a magistrate in Norfolk, Va.

The three-count indictment alleged that, on Feb. 18, the 14 pirates boarded the Quest yacht owned by Jean and Scott Adam, and held the four Americans hostage for five days. The U.S. military was negotiating with the alleged pirates, but at least one of the alleged pirates aboard the Quest fired a rocket-propelled grenade at the U.S. Navy ship U.S.S. Sterett. At least three men on the Quest allegedly shot and killed all four of the four hostages before they could rescued.

The indictment also stated that the alleged pirates possessed a rocket-propelled grenade with three live rounds and several AK-47 and FAL assault rifles. It said the pirates threw other weapons overboard before being taken into custody.

All 14 men were charged with piracy, which carries a mandatory penalty of life in prison. They also were charged with conspiracy to commit kidnapping, which also carries the same penalty. The indictment also accused the pirates of using a weapon (the rocket-propelled grenade) during a crime of violence. That charge carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years in prison and a maximum of life in prison.

"These 14 men are alleged to have been willing to do anything, including killing their hostages, in a vain attempt to obtain ransom," said FBI Assistant Director-in-Charge Janice Fedarcyk of the FBI's New York field office, which helped conduct the investigation. "Modern-day piracy has real and serious consequences, disrupting commerce and threatening Americans' lives. It is a crime against the international community, a form of terrorism on the high seas. Today's charges should send a clear message to those who attempt to engage in piracy against Americans or American vessels: Even on the open ocean, you are not beyond the reach of American justice."

Jean and Scott Adam had been members of the Del Rey Yacht Club in Marina del Rey since 2001, and the yacht club served as their home away from home and Stateside mail drop since they departed in 2004 on their worldwide voyage to distribute Bibles.

The SVQuest.com chronicle of their sailing adventure showed a couple enjoying their golden years. Jean wrote how she got her diving certification in Hawaii in 2009, and the Web site is full of underwater photos she took. They show octopus in Fiji, clown triggerfish and clown anemonefish in New Zealand and jellyfish in Palau.

Other photos show the couple playing with their granchildren in San Diego, watching racehorses at the Happy Valley Race Track in Hong Kong and enjoying exotic meals with friends in Malaysia and other parts of the world.

A funeral service for the couple was held Saturday at St. Monica, where they were active parishioners. Two of Jean's sons attended and the couple made donations in 2008-09 and 2009-10 to the church's Partners in Mission effort benefiting the school. Jean, a former dentist, was also a member of the church's choir.

(Go here and here to read about family and friends mourning the deaths of the Adams, and here to read reactions and reflections from Santa Monica Patch readers.)