Child support payments made for non-existent child

The family court system has very clear guidelines and laws pertaining to child support. However, there may be times when parents decide to go along with an agreement outside of a court order. This is never recommended, as it can lead to misunderstandings or worse. Anyone in Pennsylvania who is hesitant to agree to a child support order through the family court system may want to know about a woman who pleaded guilty to fraudulently receiving child support when there was no child even involved.

The woman met the man on a dating website. A few months after meeting in person, the woman claimed to be pregnant. The woman told the man to pay her directly or she would file a claim and he would end up paying most of the money he made. The man agreed to pay her $1,000 a month.

The man paid her for six years an amount totaling over $100,000. It was then discovered that she had never been pregnant, and there was no baby. The woman was arrested and pleaded guilty. She could be facing up to 20 years in prison and steep fines.

By not going through the court system, there was no need to prove paternity, and there was never any call for modification to child support. The fraud was costly for the man who thought he had a child only to discover he didn’t. While cases of child support fraud in Pennsylvania may be rare, it can happen to anyone who is not familiar with the family court system or who does not feel the need to seek legal guidance or support.

Source: daily-journal.com, “Prosecutors: Woman faked pregnancy, collected $100,000 in child support“, Rachel Warmke, Dec. 19, 2014