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Over $250M recovered in missing child support payments for Michigan children

Posted at 7:28 AM, Jun 20, 2018
and last updated 2018-06-20 11:06:15-04

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced that the department has recovered a total of $252,567,153 in back child support payments since the Child Support Division's inception in 2003.

“Every parent has a responsibility to support their children to the best of their ability while acting in good faith with the law,” said Schuette. “When a parent has the ability to pay child support but refuses to do so, we will work with the proper authorities to hold them accountable for the sake of Michigan’s children.”

The focus of the Child Support Division is for parents who have the ability to pay child support, but refuse to do so. 

The main goal in this department is to get non-custodial parents to resume regular child support payments.

Notable cases include Jesse Pace, 41, of Alaska, who owed $95,625 in child support payments. He was a previous resident of Clare, Michigan.

For the Department of the Attorney General to get involved with child support cases, there must be at least $7,500 in back payments owed and referrals come to the department in various ways.

The Child Support Division also recovers taxpayers' dollars spent to assist needy families when they do not receive the child support they should.