Some evidence of illicit and potentially criminal behavior at the Michigan Friend of the Court

Doug Dante

Updated: September 8, 2011

Previous: June 4, 2011

I am not a lawyer, this is not legal advice.

Evidence of illicit and potentially criminal behavior at the Michigan Friend of the Court includes, but is

not limited to, the following:

* FOC workers have and continue to make access to child support information difficult, and this may

have enabled embezzlement of child support funds, particularly payments often made in cash, such as

the ongoing criminal case of an FOC worker who allegedly stole child support paid in cash in

Muskegon county (

) One woman claimed that the FOC appears to have taken over

$2,000 paid by her ex-husband for her child (

) One mother said she has been unable

to correct a clerical error and the FOC is taking two thirds of her pay, while she is raising her child

(

) A father thinks that they may have stolen $1,800 from his child

(

) Another claims that the FOC has taken over $20,000 from a parent over 4 years

( http://bit.ly/j4TGZk ). There are many other examples ( http://bit.ly/mOVpQn ). People at the FOC may

engage in strategies of "diffusion of responsibility" and "strategic incompetence" to hide these potential

crimes. Possible crimes include wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, conspiracy, and honest services

fraud (18 U.S.C. Chapter 63 - all sections) . If the proceeds are being used for other purposes, then

Money Laundering (18 USC § 956) might be involved to disguise stolen child support. See also

(

)

* FOC workers may knowingly engage in behavior that harms children and parents, because they are

pressured to maximize T itle IV -D funding at all costs. Former FOC enforcement specialist Carol

Rhodes explained: "I came to the 32nd circuit family court to make a difference, ... but early on I

realized ... it was all about money ... My director would say regularly, 'We aren't the friend of the

family, we're the Friend of the Court!' ... In the years I worked for the system I witnessed regular

deception to clients that was mandated by office policy. I saw gender bias and discrimination. I saw

records destroyed. ... I saw hundreds of pleas for parenting time or enforcement get buried because

there is no money in enforcing custody or visitation issues. ... We were rated according to how much

money we would bring in" (

) See also T itle IV -D financial conflicts of interest

(

) Crimes involved may include Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law (18

USC § 242)

* The FOC may manipulate records and calendars in a way that appears arbitrary and unfair, and which

may lead a reasonable person to believe that they were attempting to tamper with witnesses (18 USC §

1512), destroy or alter evidence (18 USC § 1506), retaliate against witnesses (18 USC § 1513), or

otherwise to obstruct justice. One man claimed they canceled over 20 dates until he was unable to

make it and then rushed through a default judgment against him (

). Another parent

says that FOC is keeping court records away from the courts in violation of state law and that it enables