A man was recently apprehended for failing to pay child support after he fled halfway across the world to dodge payments. The 50 year-old man was taken in by authorities in the Philippines.
The man was from Long Island, New York, and ran a car auction business in the city. He had two children by an American woman and another child by a woman who lives in Thailand. The man allegedly lived 10 years underground in order to avoid his child support obligations. He first fled to Florida and then moved to Thailand to avoid child support payments of $375 per week per child. The court order was established after he divorced his first wife. As of now, the man currently owes $1.2 million in back child support.
A family court judge orders child support based on the child support guidelines that are in place at the time. Additionally, a judge can consider extenuating circumstances that justify diverging from these guidelines, such as the financial needs of raising a child, the child’s medical needs, everyday expenses and extracurricular expenses. Once the judge determines the amount of child support that is needed for each child, he or she will complete an order to make the finding official.
If a parent demonstrates a failure to pay child support, he or she may face very serious consequences, including the need to pay delinquent payments, penalties, fines and even jail time. The parent can be held in contempt of court if he or she fails to make the payments that are required by court order. A family law attorney can help a parent recover back child support payments that his or children are due, pursuant to an existing court order.
Source: Babble, “BUSTED!: Million Dollar Deadbeat Dad Captured,” Serge Bielanko, Dec. 21, 2012
