Judge frees alimony inmate after 14 years

PHILADELPHIA, July 11 (UPI) -- A 73-year-old man who spent 14 years in prison on a contempt-of-court charge for not paying alimony is free in Pennsylvania, his attorney says.

Attorney Michael J. Malloy, who represents H. Beatty Chadwick, said his client was freed from prison after a Delaware County Common Pleas judge approved Chadwick's petition for freedom, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Saturday.

Chadwick was sent to prison for contempt of court in 1995 after failing to deposit $2.5 million in a court-controlled account. The money was to be used for alimony payments to Chadwick's former wife, Barbara Applegate.

The Inquirer said the presiding judge suspected Chadwick, a corporate lawyer at the time, had hidden the funds from his wife. Chadwick maintained a bad overseas investment left him unable to make the deposit.

Following his release, Chadwick said he will likely attempt to get his law license reinstated and is considering teaching for a living.

"I'm really thinking about what I'm going to do with the rest of my life," he told the Inquirer.