Battle for boy abducted to Brazil heats up

A New Jersey man who has been fighting since 2004 to regain custody of his 8-year-old son, who has been held by another family in Brazil, fears that the longer the case drags on, the smaller are his chances of success.

“I don’t know how long this has to keep going on,” David Goldman told TODAY’s Meredith Vieira Friday from Rio de Janeiro. “I know if the other side has their way, it will continue forever. But it’s got to end. It’s gone on way too long to begin with … Time isn’t our friend, and they know that.”

Goldman was referring to the Brazilian family that has claimed his son, Sean, as their own despite a New Jersey court ruling and international treaties and laws that affirm Goldman’s right to custody. After years in local courts, Goldman’s case is now in the Brazilian federal court system.

One-way trip
In 2004, Goldman’s wife, Bruna, a native of Brazil, took Sean, who was then 4, on what was to be a two-week trip to visit family in Brazil. Once there, she informed her husband that she would not return to New Jersey and was keeping Sean with her.

A New Jersey court ruled that Bruna Goldman had to return to the United States with Sean for a custody hearing. The mother ignored the orders, divorced Goldman in absentia, and married a Brazilian lawyer from a prominent and politically connected family.

That family says that Goldman never attempted to visit Sean. But he says that he made at least eight trips to Brazil and was denied any access for four years except for a few fleeting phone calls.

Late last summer, Bruna died in childbirth, and her Brazilian husband moved to adopt Sean and remove Goldman’s name from the boy’s birth certificate.

Video   Clinton pushes in custody case March 4: Secretary of State Hillary Clinton describes her efforts to reunite David Goldman with his son. Today show

Goldman’s efforts received a boost this year from New Jersey congressman Chris Smith and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Last month, he was granted his first visits with Sean since the boy was taken to Brazil. He was allowed two more visits Thursday and was due to see Sean again Friday.

“Sean is well. He’s healthy, and my visit was good,” Goldman told Vieira. “I’m hoping that our bond is getting stronger and stronger.”

Goldman also revealed that Clinton called him Thursday to affirm her determination to help him regain custody of Sean.

“What did she say to you?” Vieira asked.

“ ‘Stay strong,’ that she’s not giving up,” he said “They’re speaking at high levels of government. She believes in our case. The facts are the facts. It’s plain and simple. It’s clear that my son and I need to be reunited and come back home together.”

The family fights back
Until now, Goldman’s claims had gone virtually unnoticed in Brazil. But when Clinton began bringing pressure to bear on the government, the family that has custody of Sean has fought back in the local media. When Goldman arrived this week in Brazil, reporters were waiting for him to get off the plane and have staked out his hotel.

Bruna’s Brazilian husband, Joao Paulo Bianchi, and his family have charged that she had a barren relationship with Goldman before she took Sean to Brazil. They allege that Bruna supported her husband and Sean by teaching Italian, and that she feared for her safety because he would violently punch furniture and walls when they argued. They claim that Goldman never tried to contact his son for four years, and that he demanded $500,000 from the family to settle the legal case over what Goldman says was their illegal adoption of Sean.

Last month David Goldman finally got to see Sean in Brazil — the first time father and son saw each other since 2004.

Goldman admits getting a $150,000 payment from the family as part of a judicial settlement, but denies the other allegations, saying he and Bruna had a good sex life. He says he contributed to the expenses of the household through his career as a model.

“I fought for over four years with dignity and out of love for my son. These lies and this smear campaign will not sway me. I will not waver in the face of their lies,” Goldman told Vieira. “Apparently they have new lawyers now who are going to try different tactics.”

In addition to Clinton’s support, Goldman’s case has been bolstered by a resolution passed by the U.S. House of Representatives calling on Brazil to honor international law and return Sean to his father. On Saturday, Brazilian President Lula de Silva will meet in Washington with President Obama, and Goldman’s case is expected to come up.

“Brazil and America have very good relations,” Goldman said. “It’s not a battle between two countries. It’s about the recognition of the pure and simple, basic God-given right of a parent to raise their child.”

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