Friday, June 2, 2000 | 10:15 a.m.
Actor Stan Shaw has been placed on three years' probation and ordered to pay nearly $40,000 in back child support by the end of June or face time behind bars.
Shaw was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Johnnie Rawlinson on a charge of willful failure to pay child support.
Shaw, 46, is a veteran Hollywood actor whose last role was in the 1998 movie "Snake Eyes" starring Nicolas Cage.
Shaw was indicted in August under a 1998 federal law aimed at collecting child support payments from deadbeat parents who live in another state. Authorities said Shaw, who lives in California, owed the mother of his now 11-year-old son in Las Vegas more than $68,000.
He pleaded guilty to the charge on Dec. 20.
Shaw apologized Thursday for "the decisions I've made that brought me here today" and vowed to pay the remaining back child support.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Sharon Lever said Shaw still owes $39,900 to Serdina White, his son's mother.
Shaw's attorney said the actor has not been able to land any movie roles for two years and is refinancing his home in order to pay his back child support. He is also required to pay $500 a month to support his son.
But Rawlinson said Shaw's inability to find work in Hollywood does not relieve him of his responsibility to provide for the needs of his son.
"This child doesn't stop eating," the judge said. "This child doesn't stop needing clothes. This child doesn't stop needing a place to live. Those obligations don't cease."
Since his indictment Shaw has paid $20,750 toward his back child support. On Thursday, he paid an additional $8,600.
Rawlinson gave Shaw until the end of June to pay the remaining debt and warned he could be jailed if he fails. Shaw faced a sentence of up to six months in jail, but officials recommended he serve a longer sentence on probation.
Shaw declined to comment as he left the courtroom Thursday.
"I'm glad it's over," White said after the hearing. She said the child support money from Shaw would be "put away" for her son.
A native of Chicago, Shaw has worked in the film industry for nearly three decades. His credits include roles in the 1996 movie "Daylight" opposite Sylvester Stallone, and the 1991 hit "Fried Green Tomatoes."
He also appeared in "Harlem Nights, "Rising Son," "Houseguest," The Boys of Company C," and "Body of Evidence."
Shaw's television movie credits include "Roots: The Next Generation" and the "Billionaire Boys Club." He also has made guest appearances on the television shows "Murder She Wrote," "LA Law," Hill Street Blues," and "Wise Guy."
In 1998 Shaw won an out-of-court settlement of $100,000 from the Los Angeles Police Department. He accused an officer of using excessive force while investigating a complaint at a restaurant.
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