Utah father who fled with kids to Mexico charged with federal kidnapping

SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah (KSL) — A Utah County father is facing federal charges after he took his children without permission and fled to Mexico, leading to an Amber Alert before the children were located.

Dane Stephen Richman, 46, of Saratoga Springs, was indicted last week on a charge of international parental kidnapping after he failed to return two young children to their mother at the end of a court-scheduled visit.

Utah’s 4th District Court had ordered temporary joint custody of two young boys with specific exchange dates of the children every other weekend, court documents show. The children’s mother now lives in Washington but used to live in Saratoga Springs with Richman and the kids.

Richman was supposed to meet the mother at a local gas station on May 23 to return the kids as ordered. When Richman never arrived, police conducted a wellness check at his residence and found the home was empty and all property was missing, federal prosecutors said in a motion for detention.

“Richman quit his job, abandoned his home in Saratoga Springs and cleaned out his bank accounts,” prosecutors said.

Investigators determined Richman had contacted the children’s mother and claimed he had taken the children camping in California. But instead, he crossed the border in southern California with the children, prosecutors said.

That evening on May 23, police issued an Amber Alert on all digital signs on Utah highways. An alert was issued to all cellphones in Utah about 7:30 a.m. the next day, and a few hours later, a warrant was issued for Richman’s arrest.

The warrant stated Richman was in a dire financial situation, and “it seems that Dane has possibly been planning this attempt to kidnap the children several days if not multiple weeks in advance.”

FBI detectives joined the search and located Richman and the kids in San Felipe, Mexico. The Amber Alert was canceled on May 26 after the children were found safe.

Richman was arrested, and the children were reunited with their mother, who was granted temporary sole custody, according to a court motion. He was charged in 4th District Court on May 24 with two counts of custodial interference, a third-degree felony.

Richman is now in federal custody in San Diego, California, but prosecutors have requested he be extradited to Utah for his initial court appearance.

“The defendant went to great lengths to hide his true intentions and conceal his actual locations. Evidence indicate that the defendant never intended to return the children to the United States,” federal prosecutors said.

According to court documents, Richman has a significant criminal history with three felony convictions and seven misdemeanor convictions of theft, money laundering and fraud, dating back to 2001. He was also listed as a fugitive out of Florida in 2011, federal prosecutors said.

“We are profoundly grateful that these children have been safely returned home,” said U.S. Attorney Melissa Holyoak of the District of Utah. “This outcome is the result of swift coordination between our local and federal law enforcement partners and the Mexican authorities. These dedicated professionals acted with the utmost urgency and care to ensure the children’s safe return.”