![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Woman fakes having a child for five years, "father" pays 20K in support
Last week, Viola Trevino carried her 5-year-old "daughter" into an Albuquerque court to satisfy a judge’s demand to produce the child.
Complications arose.
One: Trevino had kidnapped the child moments before to pass off as her daughter. Two: the "real" daughter never existed. Three: the "father" and ex-husband Steve Barreras had paid $20,000 in child support. Four: the system finally noticed Trevino was lying.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has asked the state’s Human Services Department for a full report.
Specifically, he wants to know how several government agencies became not only unwitting partners in the fraud, but also resisted efforts to correct it.
Last week, Viola Trevino carried her 5-year-old "daughter" into an Albuquerque court to satisfy a judge’s demand to produce the child.
Complications arose.
One: Trevino had kidnapped the child moments before to pass off as her daughter. Two: the "real" daughter never existed. Three: the "father" and ex-husband Steve Barreras had paid $20,000 in child support. Four: the system finally noticed Trevino was lying.
New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson has asked the state’s Human Services Department for a full report.
Specifically, he wants to know how several government agencies became not only unwitting partners in the fraud, but also resisted efforts to correct it.
