Uptown man nabbed for failure to pay $556,876 in support

Uptown man nabbed for failure to pay $556,876 in support

When most marriages with minor children end, whether in Illinois or elsewhere in the country, the noncustodial parent is typically required to make monthly support payments to the custodial parent to cover everyday expenses, health care bills, school expenses and other costs. For this reason, when a noncustodial parent fails to pay child support, both his or her children and the custodial parent can be greatly affected. Even so, some noncustodial parents seem to have no conscience when it comes to failing to meet their obligations.

One of those apparently is a 52-year-old resident of Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. He recently was arrested for failure to pay more than $550,000 in child support after reportedly evading Cook County authorities for more than 5 years.

The Cook County Sheriff’s Central Warrant Unit received a tip about the man’s whereabouts and was able to find and arrest him on an outstanding child support warrant dating back to 2008.

Police say the alleged deadbeat parent owed almost $556,000 in back child support for his three children. The suspect was released after posting a cash bond; he is scheduled to appear in court this month.

Failure to pay child support can mean serious penalties for a noncustodial parent, including jail time and substantial fines. Unfortunately, nonpayment of child support is often a bigger problem for the custodial parent, who must find ways to make up the loss of income, whether by cutting the household budget to the bone or finding another source of income, such as an additional job.

Fortunately, options are available in Illinois to help custodial parents obtain unpaid support. Through child support enforcement actions, the custodial parent, government agencies and child support agencies may be able to find and implement ways to collect overdue support. Wage garnishment, seizure of tax refunds and filing liens are among those options.

Source: NBC Chicago, “Man Who Owes $550,000 in Child Support Arrested,” March 27, 2014