Apr. 23, 2008

If you’re a parent who owes child support, now might be a good time to pay it. If you don’t, you might find your photo in the newspaper like three dads who are featured in today’s New York Post as part of Westchester County’s Deadbeat Parent ad campaign.

Today’s ad features three dads who owe a total of $47,199 in court-ordered child support and have consistently dodged the county’s attempts to get them to pay. This is the third time that the county has run such an ad. Since the county ran its first ad in October 2006, it has located ten most wanted deadbeats – including one mother – and recouped $45,595 from them. That doesn’t include the number of parents in arrears who were not featured in ads, but responded after seeing the ad in the newspaper.

County Executive Andy Spano said it was important for parents to take responsibility for their children, not just for the sake of the child, but for the sake of society. “When parents don’t pay child support, many families are forced to go on public assistance and the taxpayer ends up taking on that responsibility. Frankly, I just don’t understand how any parent could ignore their child.’’

Spano said the point was not just to find those featured in the ad, but to strike a little fear into others who haven’t paid.  One deadbeat dad – Omar Martinez – who was scheduled to appear in the New York Post ad today surrendered on a warrant found after his picture was posted on the county’s website. He appeared in Yonkers Family Court on April 11 and was sentenced to six months in jail in lieu of a $10,000 payment, which he has not yet paid.

“It may have been a coincidence that he surrendered at this time, but we don’t think so,’’ said Spano. “We have had calls in the past from parents who saw the ad or heard about it, and wanted to pay their support.’’

 The ad that appears today says: Deadbeat Dads: Pay up or your face will be here next.  It urges those who know the whereabouts of these dads to call 914-813-6378 or to e-mail csewebwestchester@dfa.state.ny.us  Also visit the social services website to see other parents who are wanted for failing to pay child support.        
                                                     
Westchester County has been recognized by the state as one of the top achievers for its success in tracking deadbeat parents and getting them to pay. So far this year – from January 1 to March 31 - the county has collected $16.2 million in child support. In 2007, Westchester County collected $64.6 million in child support. 

Before Spano took office, the county’s Department of Child Support Enforcement had one of the worst  rates of collection in the state. Now it has one of the best. Through aggressive enforcement, the county has been able to increase the amount it collects each year and has been recognized by the state for its achievements.

Department of Social Services Commissioner Kevin Mahon said many families cannot support themselves without the extra income. He said that the county also benefits when back child support is collected because it is reimbursed for public assistance funds that went to children who were not receiving the support of the non-custodial parent.

Mahon said that while about 40 percent of the Office of Child Support Enforcement’s cases are families on public assistance, the majority are families not on assistance. He said the county uses every means it can to collect money – garnishing wages, seizing tax refunds and lottery winnings and suspending driver’s licenses.

The ad program focuses on hard-to-find deadbeat parents. Those selected to appear in ads and on the website are people whom the county has been unsuccessful in finding through all other means. DSS estimates that if all the back payments that were owed were ultimately collected it would total $150 million.
 
Meet the new crop of deadbeats who appear in today’s ad on the website:

Angel Nieves-Roman Jr.
Last Known Address:
64 Pecker Street
Haverhill, MA 01830
DOB: 1/27/63
Owes: $12,234.00

Mirek Gnorak
Last Known Address:
PO Box 72
Shrub Oak, NY 10588
DOB: 5/26/72
Owes: $15,092.86

Enrique Espinoza
Last Known Address:
121 Grace Church St. Apt. 2
Port Chester, NY 10573
DOB: 8/29/70
Owes: $19,873.89