Recent reports of a child support scam in Minneapolis would likely cause outrage among most men. Reports indicate that T.K. met Jhona Vandemore on an online dating website and eventually met in person. A few months after the couple met, Vandemore told T.K. that she was pregnant.
When T.K. asked for a paternity test, Vandemore claimed that obtaining a paternity test would require her to file for child support with the courts. Rather, she hoped the couple could come to an agreement on their own. Thus, T.K. agreed to pay her $1,000 per month in child support.
Over the years, Vandemore sent T.K. pictures of the child and a birth certificate. T.K. ended up paying over $100,000 in child support payments. When T.K. married, however, his new wife became suspicious and hired a private investigator. The investigator discovered that Vandemore had concocted a scam—she did not have a child. In fact, the pictures she sent to T.K. were pictures of her cousin’s child and she forged the birth certificate. Vandemore recently pled guilty to federal charges stemming from the incident.
While most child support cases are not scams, this story highlights the importance of seeking legal counsel before agreeing to pay a sum of child support, especially where paternity could be an issue. In New Jersey, for example, establishing legal paternity is the first step in a child support case when the parents are unmarried. While establishing paternity may just mean signing a document acknowledging paternity, for those cases where paternity is unclear, there are other steps that a father can take before he is obligated to pay child support.
If you currently have a child support case that involves paternity, make sure you speak to a lawyer about your legal rights. Call the experienced matrimonial attorneys at Sarno da Costa D’Aniello Maceri LLC for help with your child support case. We can be reached at (973) 274-5200.
