A federal charge has been filed against a woman from North Smithfield for reportedly relocating her five children out of the country without the knowledge of their father.
On Monday, U.S. Attorney Zachary Cunha reported that Jessica Abreu, aged 33, has been arraigned on a charge of international parental kidnapping that occurred on Friday.
As per the court papers, Abreu relocated her five children, all below the age of 16, to Alabama in December 2021, without prior permission, and with suddenness.
Cunha shared that in May of the same year, one of the kids sent a text message to their dad, who happens to be Abreu’s ex-husband, expressing how much they will miss him. It was only then that he found out that Abreu had brought all their five children to Tanzania.
Abreu missed both the scheduled visitation of her child’s father in June 2022 and a court hearing in July 2022.
A judge had given joint custody of the children to Abreu and her ex-husband in August, with Rhode Island designated as their “home state.” However, Abreu violated this order by taking the children to Tanzania and not returning. As a result, the father was granted sole legal custody, as stated by Cunha.
In the previous month, Abreu arrived in Los Angeles with all of her five children, only to be met by the FBI and R.I. Department of Children, Youth and Families (DCYF) who were waiting for her. She was taken into custody while her children were safely reunited with their father.
Abreu was released on an unsecured bond with a GPS tracking device after her arraignment.
