A Wisconsin man, Clyde Lewis Springfield, has been indicted by a federal grand jury on charges of international parental kidnapping. The announcement was made by Brad D. Schimel, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.
According to court documents, Springfield left the United States with his four children on or about October 29, 2021. He failed to return two of them as required by a child custody agreement on November 3, 2021. Travel records indicate that Springfield took the children to South Africa and did not bring them back on their scheduled flight. A federal criminal complaint was obtained against him on November 24, 2021.
The Department of Justice and law enforcement agencies located and rescued the children in South Africa on March 16, 2022. They were safely returned to the United States. Following an international extradition process involving U.S. authorities and law enforcement partners in South Africa, Springfield was extradited back to the United States and arrested on November 20, 2025.
If convicted of international parental kidnapping, Springfield could face up to three years in prison, a fine up to $250,000, and up to one year of supervised release.
The case is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the West Allis Police Department, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the United States Marshals Service (USMS). The Justice Department’s Office of International Affairs coordinated with South African law enforcement for Springfield’s arrest and extradition. Assistant U.S. Attorney Megan J. Thomas is prosecuting.
This investigation falls under Project Safe Childhood—a nationwide initiative started by the Department of Justice in May 2006 aimed at addressing child sexual exploitation and abuse by bringing together federal, state, and local resources for victim identification and prosecution efforts. More information about Project Safe Childhood can be found at www.justice.gov/psc.
