LOS ANGELES—The second of two brothers
who removed their minor sons from the United States without the consent of
their custodial mothers pleaded guilty this week to federal charges of
international parental kidnapping.
The two brothers were recently
extradited to the United States from the Netherlands, where they were located
by the FBI.
In July 2008, George Silah and John
Silah left the United States, taking with them George Silah’s two sons and John
Silah’s one son. Both men were divorced from the boys’ mothers and had only
partial legal custody of the boys, who resided in the Los Angeles area.
Over the next two years, the group
traveled through Mexico, Central America, and Europe. In November 2010, the
Silah brothers and their sons were found in the Netherlands. At the request of
the United States, John and George Silah were detained by Dutch authorities.
The boys’ mothers then flew to the Netherlands, where they were reunited with
their sons.
John Silah was extradited to the United
States in March. On Tuesday, May 8, John Silah pleaded guilty before United
States District Judge Judge Otis D. Wright, II to one count of international
parental kidnapping. Judge Wright is scheduled to sentence John Silah on August
6. John Silah, 51, is a citizen of Syria.
George Silah was returned to the United
States in October 2011. On February 21, George Silah pleaded guilty before
Judge Wright to two counts of international parental kidnapping. Judge Wright
is scheduled to sentence George Silah on May 29. George Silah, 49, is a
naturalized citizen of the United States.
The statutory maximum penalty for the
crime of international parental kidnapping is three years in federal prison.
The investigation into the Silah
brothers was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Los
Angeles Police Department.
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