US executive who fled to Thailand to avoid paying child support goes to prison

[webfact]

Executive who fled to Thailand to avoid paying child support goes to prison
Edited news release

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A man who lives in Springfield received a federal prison sentence on Monday for fleeing the United States in 2007 to avoid paying child support. Randy Essary, 61, lived in Kansas City before he moved to Thailand.

Essary was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Brian Wimes to 21 months in federal prison without parole. The court also ordered Essary to pay $170,891 in child support.

Essary was a resident of Chon Buri, Thailand, where he was employed as the senior vice president of development for Eclipse Hotels and Development, which is based in Manila, Philippines and in Hong Kong.

Essary, who pleaded guilty last Feb. 11, admitted he has failed to pay any court-ordered child support for his son for more than nine years, since January 2005. Essary owes $170,891 in child support.

Essary was a resident of Missouri in 1996. On Feb. 9, 1996, the Jackson County Circuit Court ordered him to pay $1,500 in monthly child support payments for his son, who currently lives with his mother in Utah.

Full story: http://www.ky3.com/news/local/executive-who-fled-to-thailand-to-avoid-child-support-payments-goes-to-prison/21048998_26733496

-- KY3 2014-07-01

[ukrules]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

[NeverSure]

Good for them.

"Project Save Our Children is a multi-agency law enforcement initiative that investigates and prosecutes the most egregious child support cases. Its members include investigative analysts from the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, the Administration for Children and Families (ACF) Office of Child Support Enforcement (OCSE), the U.S. Marshals Service, U.S. Attorneys' offices, and the Department of Justice, along with child support agencies across the United States. These entities identify, investigate, and prosecute noncustodial parents who knowingly fail to pay support obligations and meet the criteria for federal prosecution under the Deadbeat Parents Punishment Act. More information about federal child support enforcement is available at http://oig.hhs."

[NeverSure]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

First they'll seize all of his assets wherever they are. Sounds like he had a good job.

Then because if they let him loose he's a flight risk, they make an example out of him to others.

If the mother and child have been destitute because of this, they have been receiving cash, housing and food benefits.

The mother and child are living in Utah. Few go hungry in Utah which is the center for Mormons. Mormons are big on food warehousing and providing free or cheap food even for non members. (Not endorsing Mormons.)

[Robby nz]

Just a blanket, the father must pay, may not always be just.

If for instance the wife leaves for no good reason and against the wishes of the father and moves in with another man should the father still have to pay.

This could be a real travesty if for instance the father is denied access to the child.

In this case he took off with the intention of withholding payments but what were the circumstances of the breakup.

I personally know of one case where a mother has moved out with children to live with another man and she and that man (unemployed) are living off Govt benefits while money is being is deducted from the fathers income to cover those benefits.

[CraigSchuler]

Good, he should of been man enough in the first place and took responsibility for his actions.

[NeverSure]

Just a blanket, the father must pay, may not always be just.

If for instance the wife leaves for no good reason and against the wishes of the father and moves in with another man should the father still have to pay.

This could be a real travesty if for instance the father is denied access to the child.

In this case he took off with the intention of withholding payments but what were the circumstances of the breakup.

I personally know of one case where a mother has moved out with children to live with another man and she and that man (unemployed) are living off Govt benefits while money is being is deducted from the fathers income to cover those benefits.

Does it matter to the kids? If you have children, even with a bad mother, aren't you still responsible for your children?

Many of these battles are between that parents and the kids get caught in between.

The guy chose the woman, and then chose to have kids. He needs to pay for his choices even if they were bad.

The alternative is for me to pay for them as a taxpayer, which it sounds like I probably have been.

[sirineou]

Just a blanket, the father must pay, may not always be just.

If for instance the wife leaves for no good reason and against the wishes of the father and moves in with another man should the father still have to pay.

This could be a real travesty if for instance the father is denied access to the child.

In this case he took off with the intention of withholding payments but what were the circumstances of the breakup.

I personally know of one case where a mother has moved out with children to live with another man and she and that man (unemployed) are living off Govt benefits while money is being is deducted from the fathers income to cover those benefits.

The circumstances of the brake up,or visitation rights, does not absolve some one of his parental responsibilities.

My Daughter from a previous marriage just turned 18 , some one commended that . finally I would not have to pay child support. My reply was, "why she stops being my Daughter after she is 18?"

[NeverSure]

Just a blanket, the father must pay, may not always be just.

If for instance the wife leaves for no good reason and against the wishes of the father and moves in with another man should the father still have to pay.

This could be a real travesty if for instance the father is denied access to the child.

In this case he took off with the intention of withholding payments but what were the circumstances of the breakup.

I personally know of one case where a mother has moved out with children to live with another man and she and that man (unemployed) are living off Govt benefits while money is being is deducted from the fathers income to cover those benefits.

The circumstances of the brake up,or visitation rights, does not absolve some one of his parental responsibilities.

My Daughter from a previous marriage just turned 18 , some one commended that . finally I would not have to pay child support. My reply was, "why she stops being my Daughter after she is 18?"

Awesome.

[kerrysum]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

Good post,

But no one ever said it was a logical word now did they? Like taking away a drivers license for non-support. Hmmmm, so he can't even drive a car to get to work, so he can pay it? Child support is, many times so exploited, in today's world. But that is the way it is, how many Thai husbands pay child support, in Thailand? Venture to say, very, very few. Life is logical in so many ways, if we approach it correctly. Marriage is between a man and a woman, not an attorney and the court. Yet the children suffer. Zealous is the word of the courts. Let us get it back to basics, and forget the rest.... rule... I always leave them better off than when they found me.. Just a thought.

Kilosierra

[renaissanc]

My solution to this kind of problem was prevention. I decided in 1981 that I would not marry a western woman because even back then, one-third of western couples split up and there were many tales of women turning marriage and divorce into a personal money-making racket.

Instead I decided I would marry a Thai because generally speaking they have a more sustainable concept of marriage. certainly back then. I deliberately did not marry a Thai from Pattaya or from the bars. I've lived here for 30 years and have two adult children. No regrets! I have a wonderful wife.

[Chris Lawrence]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

Why didn't dad seek custody?

Agree with UK, so for nearly 2 years no further income? If they have him back in the states why can't they make him pay and keep him working?

[NeverSure]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

Good post,

But no one ever said it was a logical word now did they? Like taking away a drivers license for non-support. Hmmmm, so he can't even drive a car to get to work, so he can pay it? Child support is, many times so exploited, in today's world. But that is the way it is, how many Thai husbands pay child support, in Thailand? Venture to say, very, very few. Life is logical in so many ways, if we approach it correctly. Marriage is between a man and a woman, not an attorney and the court. Yet the children suffer. Zealous is the word of the courts. Let us get it back to basics, and forget the rest.... rule... I always leave them better off than when they found me.. Just a thought.

Kilosierra

"I always leave them better off than when they found me."

The topic is about being responsible for kids you bring into the world. If you brought kids into the world and left them, how did you "leave them better off than when they found me."

[kevinsan]

Don't think they can attach his Social Security when he gets out. Of course no SS in prison. So if his son is under 18 when he gets out, he will get a 50% SS increase for his son. So all in all, everything works out again and the Chinese can foot the bill.

Granted it cost more than 170k to hunt him down, repatriate business class, prosecute and house him. The carbon expenditures alone reach into the thousands.

[blazes]

$1500 a month in child support is absurd, especially in 1996. No wonder the poor sod left the country.

[alfalfa19]

I'm so glad I never had kids.

[NeverSure]

For most debts SS benefits are exempt from garnishment, but not for child support.

[mrowe1973]

Just think if they did this is all the Thai fathers whom don't pay any child support.

[NeverSure]

$1500 a month in child support is absurd, especially in 1996. No wonder the poor sod left the country.

Support payments are largely based on the earnings of the two people. If he was hit with $1500 pm he was making very good money.

Child support will often be painful. There's anger toward the ex, and supporting kids is expensive even when married.

But what the adults do isn't the kids' fault, and having a child is one decision that's irreversible.

[capcc76]

$1500 a month in child support is absurd, especially in 1996. No wonder the poor sod left the country.

$1,500 ain't <deleted>. The loser is an executive and too cheap to come off $1,500 a month. Really? That won't even pay for tuition at a decent private school. Add in insurance, food, clothes, books, medical deductibles, toys and etc. Jail is where he deserves to be and can sit. I am sure asking him nicely to pay didn't work when he was willing to violate a court order and skip town of his his child's life.

Sad that people on here would stiff their own kid to spite their X if their X left their loser butt for a real man. If you think that way and are capable of stiffing your own kid, no wonder your selfish butt got dumped for a real man.

[bangarang]

Geez! $1500 per month? That seems excessive although he was an 'executive'..... maybe he could afford it? And to think thai mothers get like $10/mo from the government with their social security. That would be a HUGE PAYDAY if the mother was Thai to send money back home.

[submaniac]

U.S. child support is one of those debts that one can never escape. Child support and student loans are debts that cannot be discharged in bankruptcy. The amount of child support is made on formula that uses (1) percentage of custody (2) gross monthly income. So if you make alot of money, your payments will be more than someone who is broke, and yes the monthly child support can be more than what is actually needed.

What bothers me about the system is that it is the state who is getting a cut of it. Local district attorneys have programs to recover child support. The district attorney's office for the county then gets a cut of whatever is recovered. And compound interest is added to what isn't paid. So while you argue that there's some deadbeat dad out there, keep in mind that what is really going on is that the government is making sure it gets its money.

[beechguy]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

Why didn't dad seek custody?

Agree with UK, so for nearly 2 years no further income? If they have him back in the states why can't they make him pay and keep him working?

Short of the mother being a crack whore, it's almost impossible for a single father to get custody. The best you can hope for is joint custody, but the usual seems to be visitation every second weekend, and two weeks of visits during the summer, in addition, holidays are usually alternated.

I don't know about this guy, but the amounts can be altered based on income, so not sure if he even tried to go through the legal system for an adjustment.

I think it's extremely important for a father to do what he can, financially, and as a parent, but the states don't always make that easy. Hopefully the custodial parent does their duty, and a good relationship can be maintained for the children/

[bangarang]

$1500 a month in child support is absurd, especially in 1996. No wonder the poor sod left the country.

$1,500 ain't <deleted>. The loser is an executive and too cheap to come off $1,500 a month. Really? That won't even pay for tuition at a decent private school. Add in insurance, food, clothes, books, medical deductibles, toys and etc. Jail is where he deserves to be and can sit. I am sure asking him nicely to pay didn't work when he was willing to violate a court order and skip town of his his child's life.

Sad that people on here would stiff their own kid to spite their X if their X left their loser butt for a real man. If you think that way and are capable of stiffing your own kid, no wonder your selfish butt got dumped for a real man.

Public school is free and is more than free... also there are programs like WIC that pay for food... Granted the guy is a deadbeat and should have helped out but still 1,500 is excessive. I dont even think that my daughters monthly expenses exceed $100 per month.

[parmo2]

The government decided that this man cannot be a parent although he was probably a very good father.

The cult of the mother and feminist idealogy have made the laws very anti male . You may not believe this , it must happen to you before you can understand the gross injustice.

He had his his house, car and kids stolen maybe by an unfaithful wife and the government want him to pay for the stealing.

Women are allowed to make false claims of domestic violence and even sexual claims against his children , all because of this cult of the mother and feminism.

It is a red/blue pill thing , if you study how feminist man hating has changed the laws , you too may take the red pill

[CDNinKS]

Just a blanket, the father must pay, may not always be just.

If for instance the wife leaves for no good reason and against the wishes of the father and moves in with another man should the father still have to pay.

This could be a real travesty if for instance the father is denied access to the child.

In this case he took off with the intention of withholding payments but what were the circumstances of the breakup.

I personally know of one case where a mother has moved out with children to live with another man and she and that man (unemployed) are living off Govt benefits while money is being is deducted from the fathers income to cover those benefits.

Yes, would be interesting to know the whole story here before we pass judgement on this guy......

[chooka]

Good, he should of been man enough in the first place and took responsibility for his actions.

He should have been an Aussie living in Thailand and he wouldn't have to legally pay child support. There is no reciprocal agreement in regards to child support B/W Australia and Thailand. It happened to me, I received a letter from the Child Support Agency stating that my file was closed and I was no longer required to make payments due to the fact I was residing in Thailand.

[wandasloan]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

Beat me to it. I was going to ask what they will do to him if he fails to pay the owed money.

.

[robblok]

How will he keep up with the payments in prison ? Sounds counter productive to me.

Good post,

But no one ever said it was a logical word now did they? Like taking away a drivers license for non-support. Hmmmm, so he can't even drive a car to get to work, so he can pay it? Child support is, many times so exploited, in today's world. But that is the way it is, how many Thai husbands pay child support, in Thailand? Venture to say, very, very few. Life is logical in so many ways, if we approach it correctly. Marriage is between a man and a woman, not an attorney and the court. Yet the children suffer. Zealous is the word of the courts. Let us get it back to basics, and forget the rest.... rule... I always leave them better off than when they found me.. Just a thought.

Kilosierra

"I always leave them better off than when they found me."

The topic is about being responsible for kids you bring into the world. If you brought kids into the world and left them, how did you "leave them better off than when they found me."

Your fighting a loosing battle here.. look at the demographics old guys who probably had a marriage before they fled. They will hardly agree with your sound reasoning. Paying child support is normal its not paying for your partner its paying for your child.

Like you I understand the logic here the guy did not pay before and is a flight risk, what will make him change his ways. He could have paid back then but he did not. Why be nice now, when he could get away with it he did and now that he is caught its a shame.

If you make children your responsible for them too bad your wife left you ect ect the child is still your responsibility.

[dutchchiangmai]

Just a blanket, the father must pay, may not always be just.

If for instance the wife leaves for no good reason and against the wishes of the father and moves in with another man should the father still have to pay.

This could be a real travesty if for instance the father is denied access to the child.

In this case he took off with the intention of withholding payments but what were the circumstances of the breakup.

I personally know of one case where a mother has moved out with children to live with another man and she and that man (unemployed) are living off Govt benefits while money is being is deducted from the fathers income to cover those benefits.

Does it matter to the kids? If you have children, even with a bad mother, aren't you still responsible for your children?

Many of these battles are between that parents and the kids get caught in between.

The guy chose the woman, and then chose to have kids. He needs to pay for his choices even if they were bad.

The alternative is for me to pay for them as a taxpayer, which it sounds like I probably have been.

$ 1,500 seems a bit much for child care. If it's joint decision, the woman also should be paying the same amount for her kid, that would add the total cost for a kid in the States to 3,000$ a month. wow....... A whole family can live on that kind of money.