Henderson man sentenced in international child abduction case

By Cara McCoy

Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2010 | 4:13 p.m.

A Henderson man found guilty in an international child abduction case after forging a passport application for his 2-year-old daughter and taking her to Canada was sentenced Monday to a maximum of four years in prison.

Richard Haddad, 53, will be eligible for parole after 18 months. He is also required to pay a $5,000 fine.

A jury convicted him in November on one count of detention, concealment or removal of child from person having lawful custody, a felony.

Before his sentence was handed down, Haddad implored Judge Doug Smith for leniency, asking for probation.

“There’s a child out there that deserves both parents in her life,” he said. “I am a good parent.”

He said the child’s mother had falsely filed charges against him in family court; despite their dispute, he still tried to co-parent, he said.

“My emotions broke down and I was in fear for my daughter,” he said. “I wish I didn’t make that decision. I wish I had more knowledge of the laws then, but I didn’t. But my heart is in the right place.”

Court documents indicate that Haddad and his ex-girlfriend had joint custody of their 2-year-old daughter. The two would exchange custody at a Henderson day care on a rotating schedule every other week.

When the mother went to pick the child up on Oct. 6, 2008, at the scheduled time, the child wasn’t there. Haddad had said he was taking the girl to a doctor’s appointment and the mother agreed to pick up the child the next day, records show.

Haddad never brought the child back to the day care. The mother then contacted her lawyer and learned that Haddad had told his lawyer he was keeping the girl for another week and would drop her off on Oct. 13, 2008.

When the mother went to the day care that day, it was closed. She returned the following day and learned Haddad never had brought the child to the facility, court documents show.

An Oct. 22, 2008, court date was previously scheduled to address custody issues.

At that point, the girl’s mother contacted the Henderson Police Department, which began an investigation. Haddad told the judge that family court had been unable to help him.

“I’m just asking you to step in and help because family court wouldn’t step in and help after two years,” he said in asking for probation or a new trial, requests that Smith denied. “I’m just asking you to help.”

Haddad and the child’s mother lived together in Las Vegas in a dating relationship for about two years before separating, she told police. The child was born in Las Vegas and lived in Clark County her entire life, she told authorities.

Police learned the child had been issued a passport on Oct. 8, 2008, and that Haddad and the child had flown from Phoenix to Calgary, Alberta, Canada, on Oct. 14, 2008, records show.

The two were scheduled to return to Phoenix on Oct. 21, 2008, but never did. A felony warrant for kidnapping was issued a few days later.

Nevada Child Seekers and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children joined in the search for the girl, as did the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. departments of state and immigration and customs enforcement. Canada Border Services, Alberta Police and Child Find Canada assisted in the search.

She was missing for six weeks before she was found at a day care, where prosecutors said Haddad left her so he could gamble at a Canadian casino.

State Deputy Attorney General Victor H. Schulze told Judge Doug Smith at Monday’s sentencing hearing that had Haddad not been caught, the girl’s mother might never have learned what happened to her daughter.

“From the mother’s perspective, her baby would have simply disappeared from the face of the earth, leaving no trace,” he said. He said the abduction would have forced the child to lead a life “living in the shadows” with her fugitive father.

“The life that Haddad offered in Canada was nothing more than that of a prisoner,” he said.

In arguing for a stiff sentence, Schulze cited incidents domestic violence in Haddad’s past. Schulze said the girl’s mother testified she had been a victim of domestic violence at the hands of Haddad before their relationship ended.

Haddad had argued the girl’s mother was negligent and didn’t provide adequate medical care.

At trial, he admitted taking the child to Canada in spite of their shared custody order. During his testimony, he also admitted forging the mother’s signature and submitting a fraudulent passport application to the state department, Schulze said.

The mother addressed the judge before he handed down his sentence.

She said she knew when she ended her relationship with Haddad, she was “going to pay the consequences.” She also said the “pain and suffering Mr. Haddad put me and my family through will never be forgotten.”

The abduction was a terrible experience, she told the judge.

“My daughter was taken away from me. Not having any idea where she was or how she was doing, I thought my life was over,” she said. “I was so devastated and hopeless, not knowing what to do if I could get her back again or if I would ever see her again.”