Prospect business owner says mail order bride company is just another way to start a love story

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Every love story is a little bit different.

Dave Knabel's story started with a website.

"We've been married almost eight years now," Knabel told WDRB in an interview. "Kind of is a meeting of two cultures," he said. "I just decided to look elsewhere and I'm glad I did."

"Looking elsewhere" led to a trip around the world.

"When I got there, I met her first and I was so taken back by her I didn't even see the other ladies when I was there," he said.

Knabel met his wife using A Volga Girl, an online service where men can find Russian wives.

"I was so impressed with the customer support and success that I had, that I purchased the company from the founder," Knabel explained.

Now, what looks like a regular home in Prospect is actually the hub for a mail order bride business.

The women on the site live nearly 9,000 miles away, in Togliatti. A city that's said to be Russia's version of Detroit.

"I think the world is getting very small with the internet," Knabel said.

Men can register for free, but they must pay to correspond with the women. Knabel says the clients typically get to know three or four women online for several months before traveling to Russia to meet them in person.

"Believe it or not that when they go through this process, 75 percent of them become engaged on that trip," Knabel said.

37-year-old Victoria has been on A Volga Girl for about three years. We talked with her via Skype.

"One day my friend told me about Volga Girl and her story was so interesting for me," Burenko said.

Her online profile says she's divorced and has a 20-year-old daughter.

"Not all men want to have a serious relationship," Burenko explained. "This is why I decided to look for man from another country."

But with such a short amount of time to get to know each other, some argue that these kind of relationships could turn dangerous.

The Tahirih Justice Center, a national nonprofit organization that advocates for immigrant women and girls, says it noticed a nationwide trend of abuse and exploitation of mail order brides several years ago.

In a statement sent to WDRB, Tahirih said, "The nature of the abuse that we documented could be particularly perverse and brutal, suggesting that predators were deliberately using the industry as an easy conduit to find new, unsuspecting victims overseas."

In 2006, the International Marriage Broker Regulation Act was signed into law to protect mail order brides. It requires U.S. clients to provide background information, like a history of protection orders or violent crimes.

"Domestic violence happens all through the US," Knabel said. "It's happened in this city on a daily basis. So is it going to happen in real life somewhere else? Yes. I don't think it's going to happen nearly as often because the guys who are able to participate in this now cannot have a history in that area."

On the other hand, some say the future mail order brides may not have the best intentions.

We asked Knabel if he thought all of the women on the site are really looking for love, or if some just want money or to come to America. "No, I really don't think so," he replied.

Knabel says "A Volga Girl" success costs between five and six thousand dollars. For the women, it's free.

For Victoria, it's full of promise.

"I hope that I can found man with this agency," She said.

Knabel told us he met the love of his life.

"I think she adapted real well here," he said.

The website he now owns is a way for hundreds of men and women to make a love story of their own, thousands of miles apart.

Knabel's revenue from "A Volga Girl" is less than $100,000 each year. He also works a 9 to 5 job.