A state government agency and the judicial system aids and abets a woman in perpetrating a fraud on her ex-husband. Governor Bill Richardson expresses outrage for the news cameras:
Gov. Bill Richardson has ordered an investigation into the handling of a child support case where the child apparently never existed.
Richardson’s spokesman, Billy Sparks, said Viola Trevino’s case is “pretty disturbing.”
“The governor is asking HSD [Human Services Department] for a full report on this case: how it happened, what measures were taken once the truth came out, and what possible remedies are available to make sure that it never happens again,” Sparks said. “The whole rationale for payment is this court order and how the court accepted it. That’s definitely an issue here.”
Sparks said the department’s Child Support Enforcement Division’s role is strictly to enforce the child support already ordered by a judge.
A judge on Monday declared that Trevino’s five-year-old daughter never existed. But Trevino apparently conned several government agencies into believing in her existence.
Her ex-husband, Steve Barreras, has paid about $20,000 in child support for the baby. His attorney, Rob Perry, said he hopes to help Barreras get that money back.
But when the media attention wanes, so does Governor Richardson’s attention. Shouldn’t the government that assisted Viola Trevino in carrying out her fraud be held fiscally responsible for their role? I think so. Especially, if the Governor promised to do something about it.
[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i7E5HOd0xFw]