Friday 18 July 2014

A woman who set off a bitter custody dispute after moving her young daughter to Spain was paroled from state prison on Wednesday

A woman who set off a bitter custody dispute after moving her young daughter to Spain was paroled from state prison on Wednesday, five years after she was convicted and sentenced on criminal charges related to the case. But she has not been set free. María José Carrascosa was turned over to Bergen County authorities and is expected to face a hearing soon on outstanding contempt-of-court orders. She is also wanted by federal authorities, who could move to deport her. If so, she could be returned to Spain and reunited with her daughter. The child's father, Peter Innes, has fought to be reunited with his daughter in U.S. and Spanish courts. He told The Record that he has decided not to participate in the upcoming hearing. Innes lives in Hasbrouck Heights and runs a graphic design and advertising company. Carrascosa, 48, a native of Spain who had lived in Fort Lee, was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2009 after being convicted by a jury of "interference with custody." She had been accused of violating a court ruling to return the child to her father in New Jersey. The couple were in a custody dispute over their only daughter, Victoria, in 2005 when the girl was taken to Spain, where she remains, living with her grandparents. The couple separated in 2004 and signed a parenting agreement that prohibited each from taking the girl out of the country without the consent of the other. The girl was 4 at the time. Courts in New Jersey ordered Carrascosa to bring the girl back in 2006, but she refused. Carrascosa returned to New Jersey and was promptly arrested for contempt of court. Prosecutors later charged her with criminal interference with child custody. Carrascosa also failed to comply with orders to dismiss all litigation in Spain and to get a psychiatric evaluation. Technically, she is still in contempt and can be incarcerated until she complies. The judge could decide to continue her incarceration in Bergen County or release her. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement authorities, meanwhile, have alerted state and local authorities that they intend to assume custody of Carracosa before she is released. "I want nothing to do with this woman, and whatever the courts or ICE decides to do with her is fine by me," Innes said. "As for my daughter, she was 4 years old when she was taken, and she's now 14," he said. "Soon enough she'll figure this all out on her own. When she does, I'm sure she and I will be fine."

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