Christian businessman receives felony conviction for helping girl escape lesbian ‘mother’
A Christian activist and entrepreneur who helped a child and her mother escape the United States to avoid joint custody with an unrelated lesbian was convicted Thursday by a federal jury of “conspiracy to commit offense” against the U.S. and aiding and abetting an “ international parental kidnapping .” Philip Zodhiates, 61, did not contest the allegation that in late 2009 he had driven Lisa Miller and her daughter Isabella to Buffalo, New York , where they crossed the border into Canada and then flew to Nicaragua , where they were sheltered by the country’s Mennonite community. However, his attorney argued that it was unproven that Zodhiates knew Lisa Miller’s motives for the trip. The two charges for which Zodhiates has been convicted could result in a sentence of up to eight years in prison and a $500,000 fine. He is scheduled to be sentenced on January 30. Mennonite Pastor Kenneth Miller, who is unrelated to Lisa and Isabella, is already serving a 27-month prison sent