If you owe child support, there are a few things that could happen. If you’re in a position where you can’t pay, you may be able to work out a deal with your ex-spouse or work with the court to determine a better payment amount. If you don’t pay for other reasons, you could find that your wages are garnished or that you have a lawsuit filed against you demanding the money you owe.
Not paying child support can result in you going to prison, facing extra fines, or being penalized in other ways. For instance, this former NFL player was put on probation; if you violate probation, there’s always a chance you could be put into prison for that violation.
In a federal case, prosecutors are attempting to collect child support from a former NFL Pro Bowler. According to the news, he owes over $300,000 in child support. In July 2012, a federal judge in Arizona ordered him to pay around $323,000 for failing to pay child support; since then, he’s been ordered to pay at least $1,000 each month to make up the support he has not been paying.
So far, he’s managed to pay back $12,000 to the people he owes, but that’s not close to a dent in the amount owed overall. He was placed on probation when in court, which was meant to last between 2012 and 2017, but in 2013, he violated that parole and failed to make adequate payments. Instead of putting him in prison for 15 months, the judge ordered an extra year of probation.
Source: MLive.com, “Feds target Andre Rison’s NFL retirement in child support case,” Gary Ridley, April 08, 2016