Child abducted by mom at age 5 and sent to Japan gets crime victim compensation
An American girl who was kidnapped by her mother at age 5 and traumatized by being sent to live with her grandparents in Japan for four years is entitled to compensation as a crime victim, a Wisconsin administrative law judge has ruled.
The state argued that the Crime Victim Compensation Program is not intended to apply to such cases. But the hearing officer, Rachel Pings, held that Moses Garcia had shown that the girl’s mother, Emiko Inoue, committed the crime of causing mental harm to a child, and said the girl, who needed therapy when she was finally returned to her father, Moses Garcia, is entitled to compensation, the Journal Sentinel’s Proof & Hearsay blog reports.
Pings also said compensation is called for even though Inoue wasn’t charged, let alone convicted, of causing mental harm to a child.
A Feb. 20 order did not establish the amount of compensation due to the victim, but remanded the matter for a compensation determination.
Related coverage:
Journal Sentinel (Nov. 2011): “Plea agreement reached in international custody case”
Stars and Stripes (Dec. 2011): “Japanese mother must return child to States or face lengthy jail sentence”
Japan Daily Press (Sept. 2012): “Mother returns abducted daughter from Japan to avoid felony convictions”
