After Cox vowed to prosecute child support evaders as felons, she called. And last July, the state Attorney General’s Office tracked down her ex-husband in Guadalupe County, Texas, and arrested him. He posted bond 10 days later and he left the state. In November, he was arrested again — this time in Florida. Confronted with evidence of property and a recent Texas property sale, he agreed to a $55,000 settlement of the $68,000 he owed.
“This is a godsend to me,” Joan says. (A call to Leo Arguine’s attorney in Florida was not returned.)
Cox has created a division that includes seven lawyers and 14 investigators to enforce child support cases. But because the federal government reimburses the state two-thirds of the cost of collection, he insists the effort is cost-effective.
Last week, the Association for Children for Enforcement of Support — a child-advocacy group — announced it would honor Cox for treating nonsupport cases as serious crimes. That’s not surprising: Cox has used energy and creativity to re-invent Michigan’s child support enforcement system. If that gets him glowing headlines, he deserves them.
66.0% of all support not paid by non-custodial fathers is due to inability to pay Statistical Source: 1988 Census "Child Support and Alimony: 1989 Series P-60, No. 173 p. 6-7. and U.S. General Accounting Office Report" GAO/HRD-92-39FS January, 1992
Felons? Yeah, I guess so. Nothing like being a layoff away from going to jail.