That sucks.
Yes it does suck, both for the children and those of us not in the system
and benefiting from it like so many do. Are we really all on the same side?
I finally got progress - they are saying I owe 2400 in back child support. Looks like this is about to get ugly
Fraud,corruption, and theft are always ugly.
DHS paternity goof haunts Tulsa man
By Randy Ellis
Published: August 10, 2008
Dickson says she never met him.
That didn't stop the Oklahoma Department of Human Services from getting Thomas declared the father of Dickson's baby daughter and badgering him until he dropped out of college, forfeiting a football scholarship.
It also didn't stop DHS from taking a portion of his biweekly paychecks and seizing his $290 state and federal tax refunds.
"This is unbelievable. This is crazy, said Thomas, 21, a former running back at Tulsa's Victory Christian School.
It gets worse.
Thomas took DNA tests that proved he wasn't the father, DHS records show. However, DHS continued to take money from his paychecks and refused to tell him the results, Thomas said.
He said it wasn't until he got a lawyer that DHS stopped seizing money from his checks. Thomas still hasn't gotten his money back.
Tulsa Attorney Billy Wiland III, who agreed to take Thomas' case without pay, said he has uncovered evidence that DHS filed untruthful reports with a Comanche County judge, who could have ended the bureaucratic mix-up.
One report falsely claimed Thomas had "not responded to OKDHS letters, phone calls, or diligent search efforts and had "not made any attempt to make contact with OKDHS. The report was made at a time when Thomas had already taken two paternity tests and was having money withheld from his paycheck by the agency, Wiland said.
Legal claim filed
Wiland has filed a legal claim with the state asking for $167,000 to compensate Thomas for the "intentional or reckless infliction of severe emotional distress. Taxpayers ultimately could pay the tab.
Richard Freeman, a DHS attorney, said the matter is under investigation.
DHS spokesman George Johnson said the agency "is hopeful that this matter may be resolved short of litigation.
Wiland said the inexplicable naming of his client as the father and "blatant bureaucratic bullying to which Thomas was subjected make him wonder whether Thomas was the victim of profiling.
"Were these actions by DHS due to a prejudicial discrimination against Mr. Thomas ... due to the fact that Mr. Thomas is a young black male who might fit the role which they hope he will play? Wiland asked attorneys for DHS.
Thomas said an older friend told him the same thing happened to him 20 years ago. Thomas wonders how many other men have been falsely accused of being fathers by DHS and had money taken from their paychecks.
Freeman said he doesn't believe it happens often or DHS' legal division would have received more complaints.
The wrong guy'
Thomas' problems began March 31, 2005, when Dickson gave birth to a baby girl in Comanche County, records show. The baby was taken away by the state the next day after DHS reported both mother and daughter tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.
DHS filed a report with a Comanche County judge in June 2005 that said Dickson did not know the father's last name.
"Tiffany said that she knows his first name is Michael, but she is not sure of his last name, the report said. "Tiffany believes that Michael is running from the law.
Reached by telephone at her mother's house in Hollis, Dickson told The Oklahoman that she told her DHS worker she thought the last name of the father was Thomas and that he lived in Lawton.
"When I met him, see, I was on drugs really bad, so he might have gave me a fake last name, Dickson, 27, said. "I know for a fact he has never lived in Tulsa. They have the wrong guy.
Even back in 2005, DHS had plenty of reasons to know they had the wrong man.
A DHS report filed with a Comanche County judge in December 2005 stated that one of Dickson's relatives had said the purported father was in the Jackson County jail. The DHS worker reported she checked with the jail and was advised "Mr. Thomas was released Oct. 17, 2004.
The Oklahoman checked with a Jackson County jail spokeswoman and was told the jail did release a Michael Thomas on that date. The inmate's date of birth was May 21, 1967, which would have made him 37 when Dickson's daughter was born.
The Micheal Thomas DHS falsely accused of being the father was only 18 when Dickson gave birth. He spelled his first name differently and lived 200 miles away.
Shock; a bad car; a missed test
Thomas said he was "pretty much shocked in the summer of 2005 when he and his mother got letters from DHS claiming he was the father of a baby he knew nothing about.
"I just thought they got the wrong person, he said. "I mean, there's a lot of Michael Thomases in Oklahoma and across the world.
Thomas said he had a phone conversation with a DHS official and agreed to take a DNA test.
The worker said Thomas would receive details by mail.
When the letter arrived, however, it said Thomas would have to travel to Lawton 200 miles away to take the DNA test.
"I had a car, but the car wasn't in shape for me to be driving down to Lawton, Thomas said. "Let alone, I had school that I was trying to take care of and I also was working a part-time job.
Thomas didn't go.
He said the next thing he knew, DHS was telling him he was the "father by default because he hadn't shown up to take the DNA test.
"That's when they started sending me child support letters, he said.
Thomas said he called DHS back and begged for a chance to take the DNA test in Tulsa.
Thomas said he took the test and was told the test results would be sent to DHS and DHS would send a copy of the results to him.
"I never got any results from DHS, he said.
College bound
Wiland said the first Tulsa test took place in the spring of 2006 and Thomas then went on to Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan.
Thomas said the letters and calls to him stopped while he was at Tabor, but the agency escalated contacts with his mother.
Faced with pressures from DHS, a breakup with a girl-friend and other issues, Thomas said he dropped out of Tabor and headed home in the spring of 2007.
Thomas said DHS demanded that he take another paternity test, which he did around March 2007. Once again, he said DHS never sent him the results.
"The second time, when I called back, I was really upset by then, Thomas said.
He said DHS officials refused to give him the results and refused to let him talk with his caseworker.
"They just said, Well, Mike, you need to get an attorney.'
Thomas said he couldn't afford an attorney so he went to work as a security guard at Walmart.
He soon discovered DHS was taking child support payments from his wages and had seized his income tax refund.
Thomas said he was counting on the refund to buy a car.
"The neighborhood I work in is kind of rough, he said. "I don't want to be walking back and forth. Me being a ... security guard, I get threats at Walmart enough as it is.
Thomas said he demanded to talk to Dickson and see the baby at one point, and was told DHS couldn't arrange that because of confidentiality. Thomas sarcastically said that he even inquired about custody, since this was supposedly his child. He said he was told he would have to visit with his attorney about that.
Crazy' situation
Thomas said he finally caught a break when a church official put him in touch with his attorney, who agreed to take on the case for free if Thomas would sign an agreement to pay $2,500 if he was found to be lying about not being the father.
"He signed the agreement and never even blinked, his attorney said.
Thomas said he hopes the mess is close to being straightened out and he wants people to know that if he got a woman pregnant, DHS wouldn't have to hunt him down.
"I understand there are a lot of guys out there who are not taking responsibility as far as being a father and a parent, he said. "But if I was to get any woman pregnant and have a baby by anybody, I'm going to be there. I'm going to take care of my daughter or my son.
"It's crazy, Thomas said.
"I just thought they got the wrong
person. I mean, there's a lot of
Michael Thomases in Oklahoma and across the world.
Micheal Thomas
FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
DHS paternity goof haunts Tulsa man
By Randy Ellis
Published: August 10, 2008
Dickson says she never met him.
That didn't stop the Oklahoma Department of Human Services from getting Thomas declared the father of Dickson's baby daughter and badgering him until he dropped out of college, forfeiting a football scholarship.
It also didn't stop DHS from taking a portion of his biweekly paychecks and seizing his $290 state and federal tax refunds.
"This is unbelievable. This is crazy, said Thomas, 21, a former running back at Tulsa's Victory Christian School.
It gets worse.
Thomas took DNA tests that proved he wasn't the father, DHS records show. However, DHS continued to take money from his paychecks and refused to tell him the results, Thomas said.
He said it wasn't until he got a lawyer that DHS stopped seizing money from his checks. Thomas still hasn't gotten his money back.
Tulsa Attorney Billy Wiland III, who agreed to take Thomas' case without pay, said he has uncovered evidence that DHS filed untruthful reports with a Comanche County judge, who could have ended the bureaucratic mix-up.
One report falsely claimed Thomas had "not responded to OKDHS letters, phone calls, or diligent search efforts and had "not made any attempt to make contact with OKDHS. The report was made at a time when Thomas had already taken two paternity tests and was having money withheld from his paycheck by the agency, Wiland said.
Legal claim filed
Wiland has filed a legal claim with the state asking for $167,000 to compensate Thomas for the "intentional or reckless infliction of severe emotional distress. Taxpayers ultimately could pay the tab.
Richard Freeman, a DHS attorney, said the matter is under investigation.
DHS spokesman George Johnson said the agency "is hopeful that this matter may be resolved short of litigation.
Wiland said the inexplicable naming of his client as the father and "blatant bureaucratic bullying to which Thomas was subjected make him wonder whether Thomas was the victim of profiling.
"Were these actions by DHS due to a prejudicial discrimination against Mr. Thomas ... due to the fact that Mr. Thomas is a young black male who might fit the role which they hope he will play? Wiland asked attorneys for DHS.
Thomas said an older friend told him the same thing happened to him 20 years ago. Thomas wonders how many other men have been falsely accused of being fathers by DHS and had money taken from their paychecks.
Freeman said he doesn't believe it happens often or DHS' legal division would have received more complaints.
The wrong guy'
Thomas' problems began March 31, 2005, when Dickson gave birth to a baby girl in Comanche County, records show. The baby was taken away by the state the next day after DHS reported both mother and daughter tested positive for cocaine and marijuana.
DHS filed a report with a Comanche County judge in June 2005 that said Dickson did not know the father's last name.
"Tiffany said that she knows his first name is Michael, but she is not sure of his last name, the report said. "Tiffany believes that Michael is running from the law.
Reached by telephone at her mother's house in Hollis, Dickson told The Oklahoman that she told her DHS worker she thought the last name of the father was Thomas and that he lived in Lawton.
"When I met him, see, I was on drugs really bad, so he might have gave me a fake last name, Dickson, 27, said. "I know for a fact he has never lived in Tulsa. They have the wrong guy.
Even back in 2005, DHS had plenty of reasons to know they had the wrong man.
A DHS report filed with a Comanche County judge in December 2005 stated that one of Dickson's relatives had said the purported father was in the Jackson County jail. The DHS worker reported she checked with the jail and was advised "Mr. Thomas was released Oct. 17, 2004.
The Oklahoman checked with a Jackson County jail spokeswoman and was told the jail did release a Michael Thomas on that date. The inmate's date of birth was May 21, 1967, which would have made him 37 when Dickson's daughter was born.
The Micheal Thomas DHS falsely accused of being the father was only 18 when Dickson gave birth. He spelled his first name differently and lived 200 miles away.
Shock; a bad car; a missed test
Thomas said he was "pretty much shocked in the summer of 2005 when he and his mother got letters from DHS claiming he was the father of a baby he knew nothing about.
"I just thought they got the wrong person, he said. "I mean, there's a lot of Michael Thomases in Oklahoma and across the world.
Thomas said he had a phone conversation with a DHS official and agreed to take a DNA test.
The worker said Thomas would receive details by mail.
When the letter arrived, however, it said Thomas would have to travel to Lawton 200 miles away to take the DNA test.
"I had a car, but the car wasn't in shape for me to be driving down to Lawton, Thomas said. "Let alone, I had school that I was trying to take care of and I also was working a part-time job.
Thomas didn't go.
He said the next thing he knew, DHS was telling him he was the "father by default because he hadn't shown up to take the DNA test.
"That's when they started sending me child support letters, he said.
Thomas said he called DHS back and begged for a chance to take the DNA test in Tulsa.
Thomas said he took the test and was told the test results would be sent to DHS and DHS would send a copy of the results to him.
"I never got any results from DHS, he said.
College bound
Wiland said the first Tulsa test took place in the spring of 2006 and Thomas then went on to Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kan.
Thomas said the letters and calls to him stopped while he was at Tabor, but the agency escalated contacts with his mother.
Faced with pressures from DHS, a breakup with a girl-friend and other issues, Thomas said he dropped out of Tabor and headed home in the spring of 2007.
Thomas said DHS demanded that he take another paternity test, which he did around March 2007. Once again, he said DHS never sent him the results.
"The second time, when I called back, I was really upset by then, Thomas said.
He said DHS officials refused to give him the results and refused to let him talk with his caseworker.
"They just said, Well, Mike, you need to get an attorney.'
Thomas said he couldn't afford an attorney so he went to work as a security guard at Walmart.
He soon discovered DHS was taking child support payments from his wages and had seized his income tax refund.
Thomas said he was counting on the refund to buy a car.
"The neighborhood I work in is kind of rough, he said. "I don't want to be walking back and forth. Me being a ... security guard, I get threats at Walmart enough as it is.
Thomas said he demanded to talk to Dickson and see the baby at one point, and was told DHS couldn't arrange that because of confidentiality. Thomas sarcastically said that he even inquired about custody, since this was supposedly his child. He said he was told he would have to visit with his attorney about that.
Crazy' situation
Thomas said he finally caught a break when a church official put him in touch with his attorney, who agreed to take on the case for free if Thomas would sign an agreement to pay $2,500 if he was found to be lying about not being the father.
"He signed the agreement and never even blinked, his attorney said.
Thomas said he hopes the mess is close to being straightened out and he wants people to know that if he got a woman pregnant, DHS wouldn't have to hunt him down.
"I understand there are a lot of guys out there who are not taking responsibility as far as being a father and a parent, he said. "But if I was to get any woman pregnant and have a baby by anybody, I'm going to be there. I'm going to take care of my daughter or my son.
"It's crazy, Thomas said.
"I just thought they got the wrong
person. I mean, there's a lot of
Michael Thomases in Oklahoma and across the world.
Micheal Thomas
FAIR USE NOTICE: These pages may contain copyrighted (© ) material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Such material is made available to advance understanding of ecological, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, moral, ethical, and social justice issues, etc. It is believed that this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, this material is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior general interest in receiving similar information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
This also sucks.
"The U.S. Department of Justice once took a look at public corruption statistics over a 10-year period and reported that Oklahoma had 107 public officials convicted of various crimes from 1998 through 2007".
http://newsok.com/how-corrupt-is-oklahoma-government/article/3538568#ixzz1DDwXtWaC
Maybe we should follow the Chinese example and make public corruption a capital offense.
"The U.S. Department of Justice once took a look at public corruption statistics over a 10-year period and reported that Oklahoma had 107 public officials convicted of various crimes from 1998 through 2007".
http://newsok.com/how-corrupt-is-oklahoma-government/article/3538568#ixzz1DDwXtWaC
Maybe we should follow the Chinese example and make public corruption a capital offense.
See these are the cases and or incedents that make me fuming mad. OKDHS is a rampant criminal and at times is like the IRS in the fact it is impossible to stop them when they are in the wrong and to get your money and life back from them.
You should be mad, we all should be mad. Who here likes supporting criminals?
Next we have to realize how far it goes and how many criminals are involved.
These couple of articles are only the tip of the iceberg, I've been involved in research and communications with several groups and individuals here and in other parts of the country for some time now and what I've learned is scary. Check out badcourt.com, it's centered in Rogers Co. Check out the Hall and Lawhon cases I mentioned earlier and ask yourself, "What if it was you or your children?
Nationally google search $300million "Santa Clara ghost children fraud", and remember foster care funding comes from Social Security, (google "Title IV funding").
Then check out the Luzerne County Kids-For-Cash Juvenile Court Scandal http://www.jlc.org/luzerne/ And we should all ask, How can this happen here?
Then we have to decide which side we're on and what we're going to do about it.
Thread hijack:
Does any one know if it's possible to find out if a particular person is in arrears for their child support? Or if there is a way to notify DHS of that person's whereabouts if they are?
My sister-in-law is married to one of those good for nothing losers who can't/won't get a job. I know that he has at least two kids from two separate women that he does not support. I'd like to inform the appropriate authorities of his whereabouts so they can throw his ass in jail. (BTW, he has a lengthy criminal record and has spent time in jail on a couple of different occasions, including for drugs and grand larceny).
Does any one know if it's possible to find out if a particular person is in arrears for their child support? Or if there is a way to notify DHS of that person's whereabouts if they are?
My sister-in-law is married to one of those good for nothing losers who can't/won't get a job. I know that he has at least two kids from two separate women that he does not support. I'd like to inform the appropriate authorities of his whereabouts so they can throw his ass in jail. (BTW, he has a lengthy criminal record and has spent time in jail on a couple of different occasions, including for drugs and grand larceny).
More evidence of the sham that is "child protection"
FOX News 25 OKC.
Strong reaction to our investigation into a mother accused of allowing her daughters to be raped and molested. Terry Higgins has not been charged with a crime despite a state law saying parents must protect their children. Court records indicate the girls told their mother they were being hurt, but say she did nothing to stop the abuse.
http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_2864.shtml
FOX News 25 OKC.
Strong reaction to our investigation into a mother accused of allowing her daughters to be raped and molested. Terry Higgins has not been charged with a crime despite a state law saying parents must protect their children. Court records indicate the girls told their mother they were being hurt, but say she did nothing to stop the abuse.
http://www.okcfox.com/newsroom/top_stories/videos/kokh_vid_2864.shtml
If he doesnt have a job as you say they more than likely wont do any thing , thats how they roll . But if a GUY is working and at least trying they will get in his ass like a broken bicycle seat .
