The trial for a woman who hid her daughter in Spain amid a custody battle with her ex-husband began yesterday, the latest in an international dispute baffling divorce attorneys, judges and diplomats. "This is not a custody case," the Prosecutor told jurors as the trial of Maria Jose Carrascosa opened in Hackensack, New Jersey. "This is a criminal case." Carrascosa, the daughter of a wealthy Spanish businessman, faces up to 10 years in prison on the charge of "interference with custody." She has been held at the Bergen County Jail for more than 3 years for violating a family court order requiring her to return the child to Bergen County. Her incarceration has not produced results, as Carrascosa remained defiant. "If God chose me to die in jail to protect my child, then I will have to do that," she said. Bergen Record, November 4, 2009
