Dorothy Lee Barnett, International Parental Kidnapping, South Carolina 2022

Columbia, South Carolina – In a shocking turn of events, a mother has been sentenced to 21 months imprisonment for her role in international parental kidnapping and passport fraud. Dorothy Lee Barnett, 53, was found guilty of one count of International Parental Kidnapping and two counts of False Statement in a Passport Application.

Barnett, who assumed a false identity, used the alias ‘Alexandria Maria Canton’ and ‘Alexandria Maria Geldenhuys,’ removed her infant child from the United States in 1994, obstructing the parental rights of the child’s father. The facts of the case established that Barnett obtained a false passport and utilized it to flee the country.

The false statements made in the passport application led to Barnett’s two passport fraud convictions. Barnett was located by FBI agents in early 2012 and extradited to the United States in September 2014.

Assistant United States Attorney Nathan Williams of the Charleston office prosecuted the case, while the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the United States Department of State, and the Australian Federal Police conducted the investigation.

United States District Court Judge Richard M. Gergel heard the plea and imposed the sentence. Barnett’s imprisonment will be followed by two years of supervised release.

The International Parental Kidnapping count carried up to three years imprisonment under 18 U.S.C. § 1204, while each of the False Statement charges carried up to ten years imprisonment under 18 U.S.C. § 1542. Barnett’s actions have left the community shaken, highlighting the devastating consequences of international parental kidnapping.

Contact Person: Nathan Williams (843) 727-4381. This case serves as a reminder of the importance of upholding parental rights and the severe consequences of those who seek to undermine them.

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