Statute Finder
A cost-free advocate for Domestic Violence victims
“On average, nearly 20 people per minute are physically abused by an intimate partner in the United States. During one year, this equates to more than 10 million women and men.”
The statistics for domestic violence in the US are staggering, affecting both women and men. 25% of men & 33% of women experienced an abusive relationship with their intimate partner. Too often, the perpetrators of this particular crime control the lives of their victims, and the addition of children/families complicates the situation even further. Rape, stalking, and homicide are also possible outcomes when violent behavior at home escalates. Ask any law enforcement officer; D.V. (Domestic Violence) calls are one of the most dangerous to respond to.
When your significant other abuses you, who can you trust or go to for help?
Domestic violence could happen to anyone.
No one wants to imagine this happening to them, and generally, people don’t know what to do except call the police when it happens. Sometimes, the police can’t help for various reasons, leaving it up to the domestic violence victim to prosecute their case. To complicate the situation further, D.V. laws can vary from city to city, county to county, and state to state. These hurdles can be challenging when you are on your own, without financial assistance or support from another person.
This is where Rafael Testai’s app, “Statute Finder,” shines and gives a voice to the voiceless. ChatGPT+ Artificial Intelligence (A.I.) software accurately informs you of local laws and criminal statutes of limitations, aka time limits, to prosecute the crime. You can show law enforcement officers/prosecutors exactly what happened and what laws were broken. It’s also easy to use.
Type in the situation, and it displays the broken laws and the statute of limitations. Users are anonymous and have no fear of reprisal. With no cost to use it, having limited financial resources will not be a setback. The software is also fluent in several languages, allowing more people to access it.
Rafael explains his software and website in more detail.
Independent D.V. survivors can use this; it also assists non-profit first responder advocates, as time is essential for establishing a case against their abusers.
This is a powerful tool for D.V. survivors who can’t afford an attorney or don’t know what to say to the police; however, it is not considered legal advice. My early assessment of his software was that it lacked functionality, but recent updates made it easier and less costly. Initially, to use the ChatGPT+ software, a $20 subscription must be purchased. This financial restriction was lifted when Rafael created his new nonprofit 501(c) organization EIN 99-1590831, “Statute Finder,” a few months ago.
I met with Rafael in late 2023, during his software’s infancy as an application. Since then, it has undergone several updates. He also designed a new website, www.statutefinder.org, which included his software at no cost and allowed anyone to use it. Now, victims can research the crimes committed against them without paying for it or leaving a financial trail their ex could follow.
The next advancement was last month when he integrated Child Abuse Laws into the software, and the most recent upgrade was another significant step forward. Immigration laws were added to assist victims with:
– Residency issues.
– Immigration status & how it is affected by Domestic Violence.
– Applying for VAWA (Violence Against Women Act), a Federal law that provides housing protections for victims.
Although Statute Matcher has only been around for a few months, it has helped individuals and domestic violence survivor groups/organizations. SingleFathersNetwork submitted several testimonials regarding how this program helped them in a time of need.
Case 1
“My ex made consistent false accusations and always thought I was seeing someone else, which wasn’t true. At the end of our relationship, things boiled over, and she grabbed my phone and chucked it at me while I was trying to leave our home. After the incident, I talked with a guy from Single Fathers Nextwor4k (we happened to meet in passing).
He listened to my story and immediately referenced StatuteMatcher.org. I went to the website and gave it a shot. The instructions made sense -= type in what happened, and it’ll give me statutes. The app was clear and easy to use – it showed me the right laws that applied to my case. With that info, I put together a police report that covered all the bases.
It felt weird using the app, but I can see why it is needed for people. I had no clue that those statutes were violated, but I don’t know much about the law anyway, so this was helpful in getting a police report together. I didn’t think I had a chance after what happened. Filing a police report was tough, but I’m glad I did it. And if this can help someone else in a similar spot, then it’s worth speaking up.”
Case 2
“I met a woman and things spiraled out of control within a 1-year period. She threatened me with a knife, took money from my bank account (stole my debit card), and one day, she took off with my truck. I worked with the police to eventually track it down halfway between Phoenix and Nevada.
The whole reason I got involved with the Single Fathers Network was because she told me she was pregnant with my child. That turned out to be another lie – the paternity test came back negative after the baby was born. During that time, I spoke with a person at SFN [Single Fathers Network], they recommended StatuteMatcher.Org, based on the knife incident with this woman. I initially didn’t jump at the idea, but I got a follow-up call from SFN and I needed something solid to help me deal with the legal process, since she’d already stolen the truck.
The app walked me through everything. It was straightforward and to the point. I typed most of what I typed here in the app, and it helped me understand the laws and what my rights were. I used it to gather all the necessary information to a build a case against her. My lawyer was pretty surprised that I knew what the statutes were. Taking that step of using the app to take action gave me a sense of control back over the situation.”
Community Testimonials
Several victims were interviewed via Zoom about using Statute Finder; no one had issues using the software with police or in court. It was highly recommended.
I first spoke with Javier Benavides, who served in the US military and was a domestic violence victim who benefited from using Statute Finder. His story started 11 years ago when he and his wife divorced, and she used their children to be emotionally abusive towards him.
He spoke with a 3rd party about his problems, and Javier was introduced to Rafael online through TikTok, and he used his software to help gather facts about his case.
After numerous incidents, Javier successfully used Statute Finder to file for a restraining order. Even though the judge filed a restraining order against him and his ex-wife, he was happy with the outcome and believes his children will benefit from the decision in the long run.
Next was Tanya Foster with Unbreakable Survivors, a for-profit business that assists individual D.V. victims and the community with public speaking events. Even though her abuse occurred before Statute Finder was created, she stated it would have been extremely helpful in her case. And now, she actively promotes it within her organization.
She successfully used it to secure a protective order for another D.V. survivor against an abuser with several firearms in the house.
Another significant story came from Mikayla G., a D.V. survivor who was married to a cop and endured a painful divorce. She ended up calling the police on her husband and was alone through much of the process. Mikayla was introduced to Rafael’s website and “has become more informed about the situation” after using it. She was inspired by Rafael’s actions when he sent her a free personalized NLT Bible, saying, “It healed me” during a difficult time, so much so that she created a TikTok account about her experience.
Jessica Mendoza, the President of BeAButterfly.org, a Domestic Violence nonprofit organization, began using Statute Finder and has already helped victims with restraining orders and obtain full custody of their kids.
“Lawyers are expensive!”
“Statute Finder is a tool of empowerment.”
Additional testimonials can be found here.
Most recently, several Domestic Violence shelters and groups have started using-partnering with Statute Matcher, including Katrina Trast with Catholic Charities and Unbroken Horizons.
Final Thoughts
Why did Rafael Testai create this software? He was a victim of Domestic Violence and was the first person to use the software successfully. He cleared his name with the police and reversed the domestic violence charges to his ex-girlfriend, who had a history of similar accusations. Utilizing previous police reports, he gathered enough evidence to prove that the charges against him were false and that she had a history of dishonest allegations.
He used his AI tool, Statute Matcher, to prove his innocence and assist the police investigation into the crimes she committed and the statutes of limitations for each crime. After overcoming significant odds, he wanted to share his experience and help other survivors.
According to him, these are his goals for the users of his domestic violence survivor software:
A) Understand the relevant statute codes.
B) Use StatuteFinder.org to identify and match these codes, which are available for free.
C) Know how to leverage this information effectively. (Orders of protection, prosecution, child custody cases, divorces, etc). Rafael’s goal is simple: to equip every survivor with the tools needed to turn the tide in their favor
Rafael and his nonprofit organization seek Domestic Violence non-profit first responders to use his software or network with his nonprofit.
Overall, the quality of this software and its ability to help Domestic Violence survivors are impressive. He received feedback and updated his website/software several times this year, proving he is here for the long run.
Why would a domestic violence victim or advocate utilize the Domestic Violence Statute Matcher?
- It’s easy to use
- It’s available to everyone at no cost
- It’s helpful with police and in the courts
- It’s anonymous
- It’s beneficial with Child Abuse & Immigration laws related to Domestic Violence
Rafael Testai will speak at the Maryland Network Against Domestic Violence on May 9th, 2024, and publicly debut Domestic Violence Statute Matcher and later updated their name to Statute Finder.
It’s good to know you have a D.V. advocate in Statute Finder, even if you never use it.
Version 1.1 08/13/24
Thoughts? Errors or omissions? K. Brett Boswell can be reached by email at [email protected]
K. Brett Boswell, MBA
K. Brett Boswell is an investigative journalist & C.E.O. for Page 38 News
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