Florida Father Jailed for 16 Months for Kidnapping Own Kids to Morocco & Turkey

MIAMI – In a shocking display of parental depravity, a Florida father has been sentenced to 16 months in federal prison for the international parental kidnapping of his two young daughters, then just two and four years old, to Morocco and Turkey.

HAMILTON ALEXANDER MERILUS, 43, aka SALAHUDIN SABAHALEXANDER AMHADULLA-MERILUS, committed this heinous crime in August 2019 after his ex-partner requested a divorce. In a brazen attempt to gain full custody of the children, Merilus lied to a Broward County Circuit Court judge, claiming the children’s mother had abandoned the family and that he was unaware of her whereabouts.

While the children’s mother was out of the country in the Dominican Republic, Merilus sent her a chilling audio message stating that she would never see her children again and that he would do his best to ‘disappear.’ When she returned to the United States, she was unable to locate Merilus or their children. Merilus had fraudulently obtained full custody of the children and deliberately ignored the court’s orders.

The children’s mother filed for and obtained joint and ultimately full custody of the two children, but Merilus continued to evade authorities. On Nov. 7, 2022, Merilus left the United States and flew with the children to Morocco. After Moroccan authorities conducted a wellness check in July 2023, Merilus flew with the children to Antalya, Turkey to continue evading authorities.

During the international kidnapping, Merilus left the two small children behind in Morocco and Turkey on at least three occasions, claiming they were with their mother or his mother in Jacksonville, Florida. Merilus was eventually arrested in Arizona on Aug. 9, 2023. The two children, now nine and seven years old, were reunited with their mother in Turkey on Oct. 5, 2023, after over four years apart.

U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida and Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey B. Veltri of the FBI, Miami Field Office, announced the sentence imposed by U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alexandra D. Comolli and Stephanie Hauser prosecuted this case.

The FBI investigated the case with assistance from the FBI’s Legal Attaché Offices in Ankara and Rabat. This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood (PSC), a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse.