Peter Thomas Senese – Parental Child Abduction Champion or Opportunist?

Death and children are two of most delicate and venerable times of any person’s life. Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous people that seek out others during this time to make their sell pitch too. I’m convince that in the beginning there were some issues between Mr. Senese and his now ex-wife. What started off as life for most people, turned into a dream of grandeur for Mr. Senese and somewhere along the way, his son became a means to an end, rather than a father trying to protect his son.

When a Florida Senate Committee considered a bill this spring to prevent parental child abductions, one of the witnesses in support of the measure was Peter Thomas Senese. Senese’s March 25 appearance was noted on a Tallahassee blog, Capitolsoup.com that also identified him as author of a “critically acclaimed book” on child abduction. The “critically acclaimed book” is self-published and has yet to go on sale.

The testimony of Senese, 44, and others proved persuasive enough that the bill, introduced by Rep. Darryl Rouson, a St. Petersburg Democrat, sailed through both houses and were signed into law May 12 by Gov. Charlie Christ.

It appears that there are many layers to Mr. Senese life story. Many people say they have been scammed by Senese, including a California father who says he was “profoundly devastated” when Senese reneged on a promise to help pay $30,000 toward the return of the man’s abducted children from the Philippines. “He’s a master con,” said John Lee Smith, a carpenter.

Smith and others say they suspect that Senese’s “impassioned” support of the Florida bill — as Senese called it in a press release — was largely motivated by a desire to get publicity for his book, Chasing the Cyclone: a Father’s Unending Love for His Son, and obtain funding for a movie based on the book.

Mr. Senese’s ex wife has stated that their son has lived his entire life in the United States, Canada, where he was born, and New Zealand, where his mother took him in 2006 with court permission, records show. Though there have been custody and visitation disputes, “Peter has totally blown it out of proportion into a story he could spin and create this whole child abduction thing,” she said. Remarried, she now lives in Los Angeles. She and Senese have joint custody of Tyler, and in March, Senese took the boy with him to Florida when he testified before the Senate Judicial Committee.

Mr. Senese appears to have a hidden agenda and motivating factors in seeking out and trying to help other parents, who are indeed concern for the safety of their child or children. I believe in the beginning, Mr. Senese motives were sincere, but somewhere along the way, he lost his focus, and money became his new motivating factor.

Mr. Senese seems to embellish everything that he is involved in, even if the truth is revealed later. My suggestion to anyone who is having family issues is to consult legal counsel and seek referrals from reputable agencies about groups that share their same concerns. I’m not saying to close yourself to other people that may be going through the same thing, but be aware of their motives and do your own investigation on them to find out if they are really who they proclaim to be. Hopefully, this will save you a lot of money and heartache in the future.