Man avoiding child support for 20 years finally found

He ran, but he could not hide. An individual who had fled the country attempting to evade child support obligations was finally apprehended and transported back to the United States. According to the Office of the Inspector General, the man owed $560,000 in back payments to his now-adult children. This story may be interesting to individuals in California who hope to someday recover back payments from a parent who has gone on the run. 

A maraschino cherry apparently played a role in the man’s undoing. He was a regular at a Canadian bar, going by a fake name, when he ordered a drink with eight maraschino cherries. When he got his drink, he later claimed to have damaged a tooth. He returned later with some supposed documents from a dentist, but the store manager was suspicious. 

Fearing they would be sued for damages, the store employees researched the man on the internet and found him as number one on a top 10 list of child support offenders. He allegedly avoided paying child support by claiming a disability, but authorities had discovered the man hid income. He was slapped with additional payments, but the man ran to Canada and was not found for 20 years.

Since the cherry incident, the individual was sent back to his home state and is now in custody, facing charges for child support violations. The children’s mother has some hope yet of recovering the financial support she is owed. For California parents in similar circumstances, there is hope for enforcement of a child support order, just like the news piece shows. For additional help in seeking the back payments, some individuals choose to hire a lawyer.

Source: Newsweek, ““Deadbeat” Dad Owes $560,000 in Child Support, Arrested After 20 Years“, Ewan Palmer, Feb. 23, 2018