Federal investigators have arrested a Florida man for his alleged failure to pay several hundreds of thousands of dollars in spousal and child support. The man is now being held on bail in an upstate New York jail.

According to news reports, the 51-year-old man was most recently charged with failing to pay $452,000 in support to his ex-wife and children. But when the man was arrested on those charges, he was already in federal court in New York on a separate charge of failing to pay almost $160,000 in child support. That means that, in sum, the man owes more than $600,000 in support. Interestingly, federal prosecutors allege that the man and his current wife purchased and developed property in Florida during the time that he failed to pay spousal and child support. 

It is unclear why and when the man stopped paying spousal and child support, but it is obvious that he has dug himself into quite a hole – and likely caused significant financial difficulty for his ex-wife and children.

If you find yourself in a situation in which you can no longer afford to make your court-ordered child support or alimony payments, it may be possible to get a modification of your support order. A court is likely to find that a modification is justified if the financial circumstances of one or both parents changes significantly (for better or worse), if the child’s needs increase, if additional children are born, or if some similar circumstances arise. A New York family law attorney can help you explore this option.

Source: WESH, “Fla. businessman held in NY for not paying $452K in child, spousal support,” Kurtiss Tomasovich, May 23, 2014