York Township woman accused of kidnapping daughter faces new charges

The FBI has been seeking Ormsby since May after agents say she fled to New Zealand two months earlier with her then 10-month-old daughter, Sydney, in violation of a court-ordered custody arrangement. At the time, Ormsby and 21-year-old Adam Thomas, Sydney's father, had temporary joint legal custody of Sydney.

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The complaint filed Thursday accuses Ormsby of depositing four counterfeit U.S. Postal Service money orders and a counterfeit U.S. Treasury refund check into Thomas' bank account.

Ormsby's family members in York Township could not immediately be reached for comment today.

The alleged criminal activity occurred in June 2009 at a Comerica bank in Oakland County, according to an affidavit supporting the complaint by Special Agent Marc Miles of the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

The affidavit says Ormsby deposited a counterfeit U.S. Treasury refund check made payable to herself in the amount of $3,980.77. Of the four counterfeit U.S. Postal Service money orders Ormsby is accused of depositing, two were made out to Thomas for $920 each, while the others were made out to Ormsby in amounts of $825 and $920.

Investigators obtained ATM photographs of a woman appearing to be Ormsby depositing the tax refund check into Thomas' account, the affidavit says.

Agents also have a "notarized affidavit signed by Ormsby stating the refund check was hers" and she was allowing it to be deposited, the affidavit says.

According to the affidavit, Thomas told agents he let Ormsby use his ATM card because he "was working a lot and wanted her to have access to money if she needed it for their daughter." Ormsby claimed "she was getting checks from her father" and depositing them into the account, the affidavit says.

Thomas also told investigators he didn't sign either money order made out to him, the affidavit says.

It's unclear what efforts are being made to apprehend Ormsby. FBI spokeswoman Sandra Berchtold declined to comment this afternoon.

Thomas has temporary sole legal custody of Sydney. His attorney, Jacalen Garris, did not return a phone call seeking comment Friday.

Facebook pages have been set up for Thomas and Ormsby, where each is sharing their side of the story. The case has generated significant media attention in New Zealand, where Ormsby was born and has citizenship.

If Ormsby is convicted of the latest charge, she faces up to 20 years in prison. In May, she was charged in a federal criminal complaint with international parental kidnapping, which is punishable by up to three years in prison upon conviction.

In addition to being sought by agents from the FBI and TIGTA, Ormsby is wanted by Washtenaw County sheriff’s deputies on a custodial interference charge and on a warrant for failing to appear in court, county court records show.

Lee Higgins covers crime and courts for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached by phone at (734) 623-2527 and email at leehiggins@annarbor.com.