Disappearing, taking on another man’s identity and beginning a new family sounds like a script from a Hollywood movie. Surprisingly, it has been one man’s life for the past 25 years. In order to avoid a divorce and any process in a family law court, the man ran away to Florida to live, assuming another man’s identity.
The nephew of a deceased man was browsing a popular genealogy site when he discovered records for his uncle as having gotten married four years after the uncle had died. He took his findings to authorities, and an investigation began. Authorities found the run away dad living under the deceased man’s identity in Florida; he was married and with another child. Once his new wife was alerted to the alleged false identity, paperwork was discovered in their home corroborating suspensions.
The man was arrested and served time in prison for identity theft. He was released this year and returned to the state that he fled. A court judge ordered that he pay approximately 20 years of child support, with added interest, that he did not pay for the care of his two sons. The amount was $1.86 million. The man’s most recent wife is filing for divorce as well; therefore, it is not expected that his children will receive any money from their father.
Family law attorneys are readily available to explain the divorce process to individuals as well as negotiate desired terms. Running or committing felonies to avoid a divorce is not a wise decision, and it could result in serious consequences if discovered. The right Florida family law attorney can assist an individual to fight for the best possible outcome in a painful separation.
Source: theledger.com, “Man must pay $2M in child support after hiding in Florida under stolen ID“, Eliot Kleinberg, May 30, 2018