14 years in prison for NJ woman who hid daughter in Spain to evade husband’s custody judgment

NJ woman sentenced in Spanish child custody case

HACKENSACK, N.J. — A woman convicted in New Jersey of hiding her daughter in Spain to evade a custody judgment favoring her ex-husband has been sentenced to 14 years in prison.

West New York resident Maria Jose Carrascosa was convicted last month of custody interference and ignoring a court order to return the girl to the United States.

Carrascosa has been held in a New Jersey jail for three years for refusing to bring her now 9-year-old daughter, Victoria, back from Spain, where the girl lives with her maternal grandparents.

Carrascosa’s ex-husband, Peter Innes, had been awarded custody of Victoria. But a Spanish court has ruled she can’t leave until she turns 18.

The girl hasn’t seen either of her parents since 2005.

Carrascosa’s attorneys have claimed New Jersey courts placed “relentless pressure” on their client by detaining her.

Information from: The Record of Bergen County, www.northjersey.com