Bring Joshua and Chelsea Back to the
United States!
On September 4, 2019, Joshua and Chelsea were taken from the United States to Peru by their mother Giovanna Rojas Macedo to illegally detain them there permanently.
International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993
Under the International Parental Kidnapping Crime Act of 1993, codified as 18 U.S.C. § 1204, it is a federal crime to remove a child younger than 16 from the United States, to attempt to do so, or to retain a child (who has been in the United States) outside the United States with the intent to obstruct the lawful exercise of parental rights. Giovanna's actions fall squarely within this definition.
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California Penal Code § 278.5
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California Penal Code § 278.5 specifically addresses the deprivation of custody and visitation rights. It states that:
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(a) Every person who takes, entices away, keeps, withholds, or conceals a child, maliciously depriving a lawful custodian of rights, shall face penalties including imprisonment in a county jail of up to one year, a fine up to $1,000, or, for more severe cases, imprisonment for 16 months to three years along with fines of up to $10,000.
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(b) The court retains contempt power under this section.
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(c) A custody order obtained after the illegal actions listed does not serve as a defense for crimes charged under this section.
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āPaul Sneed, a U.S. citizen and father, has faced an ongoing custody dispute with his ex-wife, Giovanna, since December 6, 2018. During this time, Giovanna made serious false accusations against Paul, attempting to sway the court in her favor. Despite rigorous investigations by local authorities and the Department of Child and Family Services, Paul was completely exonerated of these false charges but was forced to pay for limited supervised visits with his children.
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Recent Developments
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In an effort to recover his children, Paul filed a Hague Convention application. On May 30, 2023, a Peruvian court ruled in favor of Paul, ordering the immediate return of Joshua and Chelsea to the United States. Giovanna Rojas Macedo appealed this decision but lost again on October 4, 2023, when a higher court reaffirmed the order for the children's return.
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Since then, two attempts have been made to recover the children. The first attempt on November 23, 2023, was unsuccessful as Giovanna and the children were not found at their home in Lince, Lima. The second attempt on January 10, 2024, encountered significant resistance. Giovanna's attorney (Marco Antonio Loayza) confronted Paul’s representatives aggressively and violently at her home, violating the restitution order and obstructing justice, as the Lince police looked on without intervening. Following this, Giovanna, Joshua, and Chelsea went into hiding, and their whereabouts remain unknown.ā
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We want to emphasize a unique aspect of this case that makes it unprecedented in the history of Peru. This marks the first instance of an international return in Peru where a lawyer from the Ministry of Women, Marco Antonio Loayza, actively opposes compliance and obstructs justice.
Laoyza is obstructing justice and interfering with compliance by aiding and abetting Giovanna Rojas Macedo to keep the children hidden.
Also, on January 10, 2024, he intentionally stopped a recovery attempt ordered by the Peruvian Superior Court. He used verbal and physical violence against my attorney and the court representative.
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On August 16, 2019, Paul and Giovanna met in mediation, where the court again denied Giovanna sole custody.
Paul was awarded unsupervised visitation rights, with a final custody hearing set for August 20, 2019. Shortly after this hearing, Giovanna unlawfully traveled to Peru with the children, without the consent of either Paul or the court.
Devastated by her actions and fearing for the well-being of his children, Paul began working with the U.S. State Department and the Peruvian Central Authority to locate Giovanna and return his children to the United States.
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In February 2020, during the final custody hearing, the court found that Giovanna's failure to appear provided strong evidence that she had detained the children with no intention of returning them. The court granted Paul sole legal and physical custody and determined that the false accusations against him were a deliberate attempt by Giovanna to interfere with his custodial rights. It was concluded that Paul posed no threat to his children.
In November and December 2019, Paul traveled to Peru to see his children, only to have Giovanna interfere with his legal custody by denying him visits. Giovanna also made false and malicious accusations against Paul to Peruvian authorities, solely to alienate him from his children, effectively using the legal system to accomplish her goals.
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Despite Paul's efforts, for more than five years, neither the U.S. State Department nor the Peruvian Central Authority could establish physical contact with Giovanna or the children. During this time, Giovanna continued to make false accusations that severely impacted Paul, resulting in his inability to communicate with or see Joshua and Chelsea.āā
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This website has been created to provide resources, background information about Paul’s character, and ways to help. Paul’s family and friends love and miss Joshua and Chelsea dearly and want nothing more than to see them safely back home. We truly appreciate all the support from those who have shared this message, donated to legal expenses, signed the petition, and offered prayers of encouragement for Paul.
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— Paul’s Family and Friends
