Andre Rison Indicted for Child Support Arrears
Posted on Sep 21, 2011 12:00am PDT
It appears that the NFL star, Andre Rison didn't learn his lesson after
being a month-long resident of one of Georgia's jails for not paying
child support in 2004. At the time of his arrest he owed $107,000 in child
support arrears.
Rison must now appear in federal District Court in Phoenix this month.
The five-time Pro Bowl participant and Super Bowl winning athlete has
been indicted by the U.S. Attorney for failure to pay child support in
Arizona. Penalties for conviction are a prison term of up to two years
and a fine of up to $250,000.
It may seem a bit unusual to see a federal indictment for failure to pay
child support. For federal jurisdiction to attach, it generally requires
diversity of citizenship (Rison lives in Michigan, the child was living
in Arizona when the money was due) and a past due amount exceeding $10,000.
Those requirements appear to have been met in Rison's matter.
Since he filed for bankruptcy in 2007, Rison may well claim any failure
to pay was not intentional but the result of economic circumstances. Unfortunately
for him, child support arrears cannot be discharged during bankruptcy.
It could even be argued that Rison's bankruptcy made it easier for
him to make payments, since other obligations were presumably discharged
in bankruptcy.
Since further details were not immediately available, we will need to await
the court proceedings to find out what happens. What is clear is that
the federal government shares the concern of local governments that those
obligated to pay child support be held accountable. In Georgia, an attorney
intent on helping those entitled to child support to pursue claims and
collect judgments.