Florida Man Pleads Guilty To Failing To Pay Child Support

          CONCORD - Richard E. Goulet, Jr., 50, of Ocala, Florida, pleaded guilty in federal court to failing to pay child support, United States Attorney Scott W. Murray announced today.  

          According to court documents and statements made in court, in December of 2007, a decree of divorce was issued in the Portsmouth Family Division Court ordering Richard Goulet of Ocala, Florida, to pay support in a specified amount for his three children, all of whom are residents of New Hampshire.

          Since the date of the decree in 2007, the defendant has failed to pay child support as ordered by the Family Division and is currently in arrears of over $100,000.00

          Goulet is scheduled to be sentenced on January 30, 2020.

          “When out-of-state parents fail to pay their child support obligations, it can violate federal law,” said U.S. Attorney Murray.  “In appropriate cases, we will not hesitate to bring federal criminal charges against those who refuse to provide court-ordered financial support to their children.”

          "Parents who willfully avoid paying child support by moving to another state will instead face consequences for their crime, said Phillip M. Coyne, Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. “We will continue to investigate parents who fail to pay court-ordered support for the care of their children.”               

          This matter was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General.  The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Helen Fitzgibbon.

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