A Florida cardiologist believed to have fled to Israel to avoid paying child support has been labeled the country’s “Most Wanted Deadbeat,” with an outstanding balance of more than $4.2 million.
David Lawrence Adams, 67, has been a fugitive since August 2008, when a warrant was issued for his arrest, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General. He is believed to periodically return to Florida to continue his medical practice.
Adams has owed $2,500 per month to help support his two children since 1994, authorities said. With interest, what he now owes totals just over $4.2 million.
"Parents who fail to pay court-ordered support for the care of their children put an unnecessary strain on the custodial parent and the children, as well as on agencies that are tasked with enforcing these matters," the Office of Inspector General's website says. "Although most child support cases fall under state and local jurisdiction, the Office of Inspector General plays an important role in investigating particular cases regarding parents who fail to pay court-ordered child support."
See the list of “wanted deadbeats” here.
The Office of Inspector General can become involved in cases where the noncustodial parent "willfully fails to pay child support for more than one year" and lives in a different state from the child, the website says. In Adams' case, his children lived with their mother in New York.
Federal authorities can also become involved when the noncustodial parent owes more than $5,000 in support or the parent travels to another state or country to avoid paying what he or she owes.
Anyone with information on Adams or another "deadbeat" parent wanted by federal investigators can report a fugitive on the agency's website or call toll-free at 888-476-4453.
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