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Screen Shot 2014-06-11 at 10.36.28 AMThe bus driver himself, Mr. Stevie J, has reportedly been arrested in Atlanta, Georgia for failure to pay an estimated $1 million dollars in back child support payments from 2001 to present. We caught up with Stevie J and couldn’t help but ask him if he seriously owes a million in child support and he said, “No, I do not. Check them out on Instagram. Who they love? They daddy, right? Of course, their mothers too, but me and my kids have a great relationship, especially my daughters and my son. I was just with them two weeks before that.”

Must Read: Stevie J’s Baby’s Mother Speaks: The Real Deal Behind His $1.2 Million Child Support Woes

Apparently, a court order was entered in 2001, requiring Stevie to pay $8,500 per month for two children he fathered in 1997 and 1998, which he allegedly has not done in over 13 years. Due to his failure to pay, Stevie J has to face criminal charges in New York.

Stevie says, “I’m a great father. Sometimes, women just go hard off their emotions and I understand that. I do right by my kids. And, what it is was, I can’t say too much about it. But, like in ’96, when I was a super producer, she was trying to get me for Kobe numbers, I was out of the country, and when I came back, it was an adjustment, so they went off of that and it just kept tallying up. I’ve been to court several times because of this. But, everything is under control. My kids love me, I love my children and all my baby mamas and I especially love my wife.”

Don’t get yourself caught up like Stevie J. Here’s what you should know about paying your child support so that you’re not facing criminal charges.

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?

Failure to make payments can result in punishment of either a fine, time spent in jail, or both. The fines and jail time increase for those obligations not paid for over two (2) years or for amounts over $10,000. Additionally, the offending parent may also be required to pay restitution and the full settlement amounts of child support owed.

Agencies such as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General assists in child support arrears matters when:

1)    The noncustodial parent willfully fails to pay child support for more than 1 year and the State where the child lives is different from the State where the noncustodial parent lives.

2)    The amount the noncustodial parent owes is more than $5,000 and the State where the child lives is different from the State where the noncustodial parent lives, or

3)    The noncustodial parent travels to another State or country to avoid paying child support.

Additionally, within the State of New York, the NY Department of Taxation and Finance files warrants in county clerks’ offices throughout the state to enforce collection of child support and/or combined spousal and child support arrears. The Department of State maintains an electronic database of the warrant- related notices presented by the Department here.

HOW DOES THIS AFFECT YOU?

If a court order is entered against you, requiring you to pay a specific amount in child support, you better see to it that you do so. Pursuant to the Child Support Enforcement Act of 1984, district or state attorneys must assist in with the collection of child support. Most times the District and/or State Attorney will serve papers requiring that the noncustodial parent meet with them to arrange a payment schedule. If they fail to refuse to do so, they may face jail time.

There are also numerous types of methods to enforce court ordered child support payments and this includes interception of tax refunds, wage garnishments, seizure of property, suspension of business or occupational licenses and, in some states, the revocation of a driver’s license.

Almost every state has an agency that can help you with child support enforcement at little or no cost to you. For a list of links to these agencies, visit the National Child Support Enforcement Association at http://ncsea.org

Rashida Maples, Esq. is Founder and Managing Partner of J. Maples & Associates (www.jmaplesandassociates.com). She has practiced Entertainment, Real Estate and Small Business Law for 9 years, handling both transactional and litigation matters. Her clients include R&B Artists Bilal and Olivia, NFL Superstar Ray Lewis, Fashion Powerhouse Harlem’s Fashion Row and Hirschfeld Properties, LLC.

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SHE’S THE LAW: Don’t Follow Stevie J’s Lead, Failure To Pay Child Support Can Land You In Jail  was originally published on hellobeautiful.com