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Ventura Judge Johnson Blocks Mother’s Goodbye as Bewildered Children Leave Alone With Father to Italy and Beyond
By Richard Luthmann
After being their primary caretaker all their lives, Sara Young, a California mother, lost the chance to say goodbye to her three young children on September 3.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge JoAnn Johnson coldly denied her request for a final farewell. Young’s children, U.S. citizens, were handed over to her estranged husband, Daniel Bichanich, despite his failure to comply with court orders and unresolved issues of alleged abuse.
Alessandra, Luca, and Romeo, U.S. citizens, deported to Italy.
Bichanich is using his financial resources and legal maneuvering to take the children to Italy and Jordan, where Young will have little recourse to ever see them.
“The court ordered my children be turned over to my ex, even though he didn’t comply with any of the court’s orders,” Young said.
Bichanich, who has greater financial resources and powerful legal representation, manipulates the system using the Hague Convention. Young, who represents herself, was devastated by the decision.
Judge Johnson allowed Bichanich to take the children, waived $5,000 in unpaid child support due to Young and told him he does not have to purchase a plane ticket for their mother to accompany the children to Italy. In fact he does not even have to tell her where they are.
After Young’s request for a stay pending appeal was denied, Judge Johnson ordered her to remain in the courtroom while Bichanich got the children – from the waiting room. The three little ones were expecting to see their mother with whom they came. Instead, their father whisked them away to perhaps never see their mother again.
“She denied my request to say goodbye to my children,” Young said. “She ordered me to sit in the courtroom while my husband collected the children and left the courthouse.”
Bichanich took the children to Italy. The next destination is Jordan, where Young will have no access to them.
Bichanich secured custody of the children through the Italian courts by filing for divorce there without Young’s knowledge. Because Young was unaware of the proceedings, the Italian courts labeled the case “uncontested,” granting Bichanich custody and allowing him to take the children abroad.
Bichanich’s tactics have made it nearly impossible for Young to maintain a relationship with her children. On September 3, he departed the U.S. with the children.
“He has manipulated the Italian courts to grant him full custody, deny me access to the family home, and only let me see the kids via Skype,” Young said.
Bichanich’s February 2022 custody order was obtained while the family resided in Jordan, He left Young homeless.
“He managed to push through those orders and strip me of all custody and access to the house,” Young stated. “I have no access to any marital assets, so I’m homeless and can’t see my young children through his fraudulent litigation.”
Bichanich’s use of the Hague Convention — a treaty intended to prevent international child abduction— has raised concerns about how one parent can weaponize the legal system to deprive the other parent of custody.
The Sara Young custody battle continued as she arrived in Italy on September 6. Bichanich sent her a message warning her not to attempt to see the children.
“If you come to the house, I will call the police immediately,” Bichanich wrote in an email to Young.
Sara Young’s Facebook
Bichanich said he would leave Young’s personal items outside the house and that she could speak to the children on Skype.
Young has received no court orders regarding her access to the children, leaving her unsure whether Bichanich is bluffing about his legal authority.
“I’m going to the house to be with my kids,” Young said. “Cops will be called. I’ll keep you posted.”
Frank Report has not received any further updates. Young may presently be in an Italian jail.
