Former PA Resident Lured by Fake Movie Deal Arrested for Failure to Pay Child Support

By Sheryl Rentz on June 13, 2012

According to NECN.com, a 40-year-old former resident of Pennsylvania wanted on a pair of child support warrants in the state is now behind bars for failure to pay. The man, an unemployed musician, had been living in Maui in recent years, but returned to Pennsylvania on May 22 because he thought he was offered a role in a new Jennifer Aniston romantic comedy film called “Banished in Brooklyn.” However, upon his arrival at the Philadelphia International Airport, the 40-year-old was greeted by police as well as a New York-based bounty hunter Scott Bernstein and his camera crew who are filming a new reality show about parents wanted for child support.

In order to lure the man back to Pennsylvania, the bounty hunter had created a fake Facebook account pretending to be a movie producer and contacted the musician to offer him the faux movie role, claiming an associate had seen his band play in Hawaii. The man arrived at the airport with all of his belongings in hopes of movie stardom, but instead was arrested on a criminal warrant alleging failure to pay child support, which Lehigh County officials say is the first person in county history to be arrested for this charge. This new charge stems from an amendment to a 2008 state law.

The Morning Call of Allentown reports that the man owes an estimated $43,000 in child support for his now 19-year-old daughter. The man appeared in front of a judge shortly after the arrest to explain why he hasn’t paid the thousands of dollars in child support, stating he has arthritis that leaves him unable to work and is on food stamps. The presiding judge ordered he be jailed on a 2002 civil bench warrant for not appearing at a child support conference that same year, and another judge ordered him jailed on the criminal charge, setting a $25,000 bail.

Failure to pay child support is a misdemeanor charge, and the penalties for a conviction are a maximum of one year in jail and a $2,500 fine.

For a parent, child support can be vital to providing the necessities for their son or daughter and giving them a comfortable upbringing. As the costs of raising a child are certainly considerable, a parent may suffer undue financial stress if the ordered child support is not given. If a former partner or spouse is failing to meet his or her financial obligations to you, Pennsylvania child support lawyer Sheryl R. Rentz can help you get the financial support you are entitled to. To discuss your specific case, call (610) 645-0100 for a complimentary consultation.