FEDS ARREST DEADBEAT PARENTS FOR CHRONIC FAILURE TO PAY CHILD SUPPORT
On-going Operation to Crack down on Support Scofflaws
Federal agents arrested non-paying parents in five states over the last 25 days for failing to pay court ordered child support. The men arrested are some of Washington State’s most delinquent parents and now face Federal Failure to Pay Child Support charges.
Beginning on June 13, 2006, agents from the Inspector Generals Office of the Department of Health and Human Services made arrests in Washington, Oregon, Montana, Georgia and Ohio. The defendants will be brought to U.S. District Court in Washington on charges of Failure to Pay Legal Child Support Obligations. These cases collectively represent over $426,000 in child support owed for the care of Northwest children. The recovery of those funds would represent but the latest chapter in the continuing Federal commitment to assist Washington State in collecting back child support funds. Additional arrests are pending.
The defendants arrested so far include:
THOR OLIVER WESTERLAND, 44, of Missoula, Montana, works in construction and owes $70,921 in back child support for two children in Washington.
WILLIAM G. PARKER, 40, of Hollywood Hills, Florida.and Sedro Wooley, Washington who works in construction owes $80,112 in back child support for three children in Washington.
RANDLE VERNON NILSON, 54, of Billings, Montana is trained as an accountant and owes $69,656 in back child support for three children in Washington.
JEFFERY A. KERR,32, of Medford, Oregon works in construction and owes $46,483 in back child support for three children in Washington.
ALLEN HERBERT BOOI, 45, of Ocean Park, Washington owes $33,883 in back support for one child living in Oregon.
The charges are allegations that have not yet been proven in court beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Federal government is allowed to intervene, with criminal charges, only in the most egregious cases where the non-custodial parent is living in a State separate from the dependent children, the State has exhausted all reasonable means to collect, and certain arrearage thresholds are met.
In addition to such investigative initiatives, the Federal Government grants Washington more than $70 million annually to help support the State’s collection of child support funds. And with the help of those resources, the Washington Department of Social and Health Services collects more than $650 million in child support annually.
THOR OLIVER WESTERLAND is scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Seattle at 2:30 today.
For additional information please contact Emily Langlie, Public Affairs Officer for the United States Attorney’s Office, at (206) 553-4110.
