Dad of 23 kids jailed for not paying child support

An American judge has thrown the book at a man who has fathered 23 children by 14 different women - then refused to pay support, the Daily Mail reported.

Just days after it was revealed Britain's most feckless father had 15 children by 14 different women and relied on benefits to look after them, US judge Denis Lieber threw Howard Veal in jail.

Where unemployed Briton Keith Macdonald, 25, relies on taxpayers to pick up the £2million costs for child care, it's a very different story for Veal.

'Irresponsible': Howard Veal has been jailed for failing to pay some $500,000 to support his 23 children. The judge labelled him 'the poster child for irresponsibility'

Judge Lieber branded Veal, who owes more than $500,000 in child support, 'outrageous' and 'an insult to every responsible father'.
He continued: 'You are the poster child for irresponsibility. You’re an insult to every responsible father who sacrifices to provide for their children.

'Animals procreate, human beings are supposed to nurture their children.'

The judge was so appalled, he far exceeded the state guidelines by sentencing Veal to up to four years.

Like Macdonald, Veal has barely worked at all over the years, instead choosing to live on benefits.

When he had a job for a few months last year, some money was taken from his wage to pay for his children, but it barely made a dent in what he owed.

The case against him stemmed from his guilty plea in July to owing one of the mothers - Sherri Black - more than $60,000 in child support. He’d paid just $87.75 over the years.

Using a similar excuse as Macdonald, Veal told the court: 'I was paying money from my unemployment. I never chose not to pay.'
His attorney argued that he was seeking training to become employed so he could support his children.

 Veal’s pleas didn’t move Miss Black, the 38-year-old mother of two of his children, aged 16 and 11, who was delighted to see him going to prison.

She said: 'My daughter doesn’t even know him. I’m pleased he’s been jailed but, I’d rather have him pay the money. Now my taxes will go to support him in prison.

'When I think about it, my children were in prison, too - a prison of poverty.'
She added that she met Veal when she was a young woman and he took care of her until it came time to support their children.
However, Loretta Noble, the mother of four of his children with whom he lives claimed he had turned over a new leaf and was trying to be a better father.

She said she’d warned him that his philandering would catch up with him but added: 'He’s trying to overcome to be a better man.'
When the Attorney General’s Office looked at Veal's notes they discovered he’d impregnated at least one woman every year and in three of those years, he’d conceived with three women.

Assistant Attorney General Mitchell Wood said: 'The Child Support Division has prosecuted thousands of felony nonsupport cases since its inception, but none as outrageous as this.'

He recommended that Veal’s behavior warranted prison time because he was unlikely to ever make a substantial dent in what he owes especially as there remain 14 outstanding cases against him.

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