Andre Lieven wrote:
> http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,141525,00.html
>
> (Reproduced for educational purposes only)
>
> Agency Culpable in Child Support Scam

Oh yeah.  They're gonna get creamed in the upcoming lawsuit.  This man
probably has every litigator in Albuquerque dying to take his case on
contingency.

> Wednesday, December 15, 2004
> By Wendy McElroy
>
> Last week, Viola Trevino carried her 5-year-old "daughter" into an
> Albuquerque (search) court to satisfy a judge's demand to produce
> the child.
>
> Complications arose.

To put it mildly.

> One: Trevino had kidnapped the child moments before to pass off as
> her daughter.

Thus adding kidnapping to her original crime of fraud.  Before, she
would only have been sued, but kidnapping is obviously a lot more
serious.  She's also made an enemy of the governor, which isn't the
best thing that someone on trial can do.

Here's a prediction: They'll staple her ass to the floor for this.

> Two: the "real" daughter never existed. Three: the
> "father" and ex-husband Steve Barreras had paid $20,000 in child
> support.

He'll get that back in spades.  Big Mother is always looking for the
deepest possible pockets.  Now she'll have to see how deep her own
pockets are.  I'll bet they're deep enough to make this man very
comfortable.

[...]

> Specifically, he wants to know how several government agencies became
> not only unwitting partners in the fraud, but also resisted efforts
> to correct it.

Attempting to correct it would have been to admit it happened, which
they knew would expose the profound corruption and mismanagement that
plague these agencies.  People's jobs were on the line.

> Richardson deserves a tip of the hat for taking responsibility. The
> official response to child support (search) or welfare debacles is
> usually silence.

It is a stand-up thing to do.  Even in helping this man, he risks
alienating female voters, who believe that any atrocity should happen
if it benefits ..... the children.

[...]

> With Trevino, several government agencies processed papers. Trevino
> falsified a paternity test by using a sample from an adult daughter
> who is Barreras' child and then had a family friend process it at
> the lab. On the basis of the test, Trevino obtained a court order
> for child support.

I wonder what the Bernalillo County DA can do with the adult daughter
and the family friend.  Conspiracy perhaps?

> Trevino also obtained a Social Security card, a Medicare card and
> a birth certificate for the "daughter."

Falsification of government documents.  Congratulations, Ms. Trevino.
Now you have a federal rap.

[...]

> His petition for a restraining order was denied. Evidence that his
> vasectomy, conducted a year prior to the child's "birth," had left
> him with a zero sperm count, was ignored. Phoning and writing to New
> Mexico's child support agency to have them verify his daughter's
> non-existence resulted in a letter. The child enforcement worker
> stated, "your daughter does exist, as I am sure you already knew."

I count three bureaucrats whose heads will roll.  Let's take them
bowling.

[...]

> Unfortunately, too many child support agencies are virtually
> accountable to no one."

They'll be accountable to the civil court judge who crushes them with
punative and compensatory damages.

[...]

> The panicked grandmother could not keep up with Trevino and got
> left behind in the parking lot. She stated: "I thought I was never
> going to see my baby girl again. It's the scariest thing."

Here's a second person who can suit her.  Looks like Trevino had a
pretty big day.

> Richardson's question keeps rising: how could this happen?

Because it's ..... for the children.

> A partial explanation is that the child welfare system seems to
> automatically favor the claims of custodial mothers over
> non-custodial fathers.
>
> Consider one scenario. A custodial mother swears under oath to
> have given birth and perhaps provides false documents. In many

Not perhaps.  She provided false documents.  And now she's added
perjury to her rapidly growing rap sheet.

It's not hard to guess what her defense will be.  Profuse weeping and
repeated claims that she did it "for my children."  What I wouldn't
give to sit on that jury.

> The stakes are higher than money, however. If Barreras had fallen
> behind in support payments, he would have been sent to jail. His life
> might have been destroyed.

This is why his judgement will be huge.  Your suffering has not been in
vain, friend.

> Barreras is reportedly suing to recover the $20,000. There is some
> indication he may also sue other individuals who "perpetuated" the
> fraud. According to Barreras' attorney: "the parties that were
> involved in this fraud will be sought. We've played defense. Now,
> it's time to play offense."

Rah! Rah! Rah!

I'm really glad Fox carried this.  If Fox, talk radio, and internet
bloggers can change things for men the way they changed the outcome of
a US election, things may finally get better for a lot of men.

[...]
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