During a business trip to Los Angeles, USA, from May 06 to June 01, 2023, we conducted a set of activities aimed at organizing a trial in the Ronald Reagan Federal Court (Ronald Reagan Federal Building and Courthouse at 411 West Fourth Street in Santa Ana, California), in accordance with the Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (The Hague, October 25, 1980), on the return of a 4-year-old child to his place of residence in Mexico, who was wrongfully abducted and removed to the United States 🇺🇸 more than 1.5 years ago.

The trial was organized by lawyer A. Kuznetsov in the frame of representing the interests of the child’s father (a citizen of the Russian Federation) who lives in Mexico (on the basis of a residence permit).

In January 2023, a citizen of the Russian Federation permanently residing in Mexico contacted us, who reported that in May 2022 his wife, in collusion with a US citizen (with whom she – the spouse, was in a relationship secretly from the principal), abducted their common child and wrongfully removed him across the USA-Mexico boarder. After that, these persons began to extort funds in the amount of $250,000 for the opportunity for the principal to communicate with the child and return him to his familiar environment. 

In the course of work on the concluded Agreement, we organized a number of inspections by law enforcement and other competent Mexican authorities on the facts of child abduction, extortion of funds, criminal conspiracy, etc. As a result, the Mexican Prosecutor’s office launched a criminal charge on these facts. Currently, law enforcement officers are deciding whether to add the child’s mother and her accomplice to the Interpol Red Notice.

At the place of residence of the father, we received a court decision stating that the abducted child must live with the father at his place of residence in Mexico. An investigation into the abduction of a child was also initiated by the US State Department, the Child Abduction Division and the California District Attorney’s Office.

On May 18, 2023, having the necessary set of documents confirming the facts of wrongful removal and abduction of the child, lawyer A. Kuznetsov filed a Petition to the Ronald Reagan Federal Court for the return of the child to the principal (father) in Mexico, as well as a petition for the father to obtain a visa for personal participation in this trial. The court accepted all the papers.

Due to the long–term appointment for a visa interview for a period of more than two years in the Consular Departments in Mexico, we requested an emergency interview and in early August 2023 our client received a three-year visa with the opportunity to stay in the country for up to 180 days.

On August 10, 2023, the first court hearing was held in the Ronald Reagan Federal Court in Los Angeles, to which our client personally arrived. Finally, after more than 1.5 years of separation, father and son were reunited.

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