Friday, August 06, 1999
69 indicted for non-support
County: Nearly $1.3 million owed
BY DAN HORN
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Kimberly Frazier with sons Kyle, 7; Tyler, 6, and Nick, 10. She says her ex-husband owes more than $26,000 in child support.
(Yoni Pozner photo)
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If they weren't all on Hamilton County's list of “deadbeat parents,” they would have almost nothing in common.
One is a former Bengals running back who earned more than $500,000 a season before moving to Great Britain.
Others include a truck driver from Arizona, a corporate executive from Norwood and an international radio correspondent last seen in West Africa.
All were named Thursday in what prosecutors describe as the largest mass indictment in county history.
Prosecutors say the 65 men and four women on the list owe a total of nearly $1.3 million to 107 children.
“These are the worst of the worst,” said Prosecutor Mike Allen. “They have violated the nonsupport statute as badly as it can be violated.”
The list of names on the indictment includes retired NFL running back James Brooks, who played eight seasons with the Bengals' and remains the team's all-time leading rusher.
For Mr. Brooks, whose last address was in Great Britain, it was the second indictment for nonsupport in the past year. The earlier indictment accused him of failing to pay about $77,000 to his 6-year-old son.
The most recent charge against Mr. Brooks claims he owes more than $28,000 to the mother of another child.
Aside from his famous name, however, prosecutors say Mr. Brooks' case is no different than many of the others on the list released Thursday.
Most involve parents who owe between $10,000 and $20,000 in child support.
Mr. Allen said the worst offender is Charles Aniagolu, a former correspondent for the British Broadcasting Co. who owes about $135,000.
Mr. Aniagolu, who most recently worked in West Africa, is accused of failing to support his 12-year-old daughter for more than a decade. The daughter and her mother recently moved from Bond Hill to Chicago.
Like many of the children involved in these cases, prosecutors say, Mr. Aniagolu's daughter now relies on public assistance for the financial support she should be getting from her father.
“That comes out of taxpayer's pockets,” Mr. Allen said. “These individuals have consistently and, quite frankly, contemptuously failed to support their children.”
Of the 69 defendants named Thursday, Mr. Allen said, 52 have caused their dependent children to seek some form of public assistance.
He said the impact on the children is significant even when the amount owed is far less than that owed by Mr. Aniagolu.
In the case of Vernon J. Frazier Jr., the mother of his three children estimates she is losing about $1,000 a month in payments.
Kimberly Frazier of Norwood said her ex-husband has worked in management with several companies but has paid her nothing in more than a year. According to the indictment, he owes $26,300.
“He thinks he's above the law. He thinks he's untouchable,” Ms. Frazier said. “These are his children, and he's putting them through stuff they really don't need to go through.”
Ms. Frazier, who is unemployed, said her search for a job has been limited by the broken-down car she cannot afford to repair.
When she's working, she said, she usually brings home about $1,000 a month. She said it's enough for the basics — food, rent, clothing — but little else.
“My kids don't understand why we can't afford to go to McDonald's or why we can't go to a movie,” she said. “If I was getting regular payments, it would make all the difference.”
She said her ex-husband dropped out of sight a year ago and has not made a payment since.
Mr. Allen said finding the defendants may be difficult because so many have “gone underground.” He said Mr. Brooks and Mr. Aniagolu are believed to be in Great Britain. If they are located, he said, British authorities will likely agree to extradite them to the U.S.
He said others have left Greater Cincinnati and could be scattered anywhere from Texas to Georgia to Arizona.
Mr. Allen said one prominent name that didn't make the list — Dr. David Gillis — has not left the area and has recently made some payments. Dr. Gillis' medical license was suspended last year for failure to pay about $245,000.
Mr. Allen said the doctor's case is an example of how authorities try to work with the parents for as long as possible before resorting to a criminal indictment.
The theory is that a parent who is attempting to pay some of the arrearage is better than a parent in jail who isn't paying any.
But for some, Mr. Allen said, criminal charges are the only way to bring them back to Hamilton County and force them to pay.
He said the charges, which carry a maximum penalty of one year in jail, give the courts more leverage with chronically delinquent parents.
Since the prosecutor's child-support enforcement program began in 1992, 831 parents have been indicted for non-support.
Of those, Mr. Allen said, 352 have served at least some jail time. Another 164 remain at large.
About 80,000 Hamilton County residents receive monthly child support payments totaling $129 million a year.
Before announcing the indictments Thursday, Mr. Allen read from a letter written by one of the delinquent parent's children. The child, who was not identified, sought help from his father after learning his mother had cancer.
“My mom has cancer and will not be able to take care of us,” the letter read. “Dad, if you love me, you will have to help us.”
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