Couple took girl from Nicaragua to US 14 years ago, never gave her back, feds say
A couple is accused of taking a young girl from Nicaragua 14 years ago for medical treatment in the United States and never bringing her back to her parents, according to a federal indictment in South Carolina.
Federal authorities say Michael and Charlotte Taylor took the girl, described as a “small minor child at the time,” from her parents in the Central American country in 2005.
They enrolled her in school with a fake name, and ignored protests from the government of Nicaragua to send her back, according to the indictment. The girl is now an adult and has not been in contact with her biological family for 10 years, prosecutors say.
Federal authorities arrested the Taylors and charged them with “harboring an illegal alien.” They were both given $25,000 bonds Oct. 10, federal court records show.
Separate attorneys for Charlotte and Michael Taylor declined to comment on the charges.
According to the indictment, filed Sept. 11 in federal court in Greenville, South Carolina, the couple brought the young Nicaraguan girl to the United States on a temporary visa for medical treatment in July 2005.
The next year, the couple is accused of submitting a forged letter to immigration officials in an attempt to adopt the girl.
In 2008, prosecutors say, immigration officials sent a letter to the Taylors, stating, “You are currently harboring a child in the United States who has no legal immigration status. Further, you are holding this child against the wishes of the Nicaraguan Government.”
“You are aware that the Nicaraguan Government and United States Government have made repeated requests for you to return the child to Nicaragua. To date, you have refused to comply with their requests,” the letter said, according to the indictment.
“Victim 1 is now an adult, undocumented individual residing in the United States,” the indictment said.
This story was originally published November 11, 2019 at 10:23 AM.
