World | Sean Goldman Father's Quest for Son Strains US-Brazil Ties 4-year custody battle becomes political preoccupation By Kevin Spak Posted Mar 13, 2009 2:40 PM CDT Copied US citizen David Goldman, right, walks with a member of US Congress Christopher Smith as he arrives in Brasilia, Thursday, Feb. 5, 2009. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres) President Obama meets his Brazilian counterpart tomorrow, and a likely topic of conversation will be an 8-year-old boy, the Washington Post reports. Sean Goldman’s mother whisked him from Newark to Brazil 4 years ago without telling his father—an act both countries agree violated international law and is a matter for the Brazilian courts. But since her death in August, custody of Sean has become a political problem. Sean's father, David, is on a media crusade, arguing that his ex’s new husband, a well-connected lawyer, is unfairly swaying the courts. He describes himself as "just a guy trying to bring my son home"; the stepfather, who reportedly has 70 lawyers working on Sean's case, criticized David Goldman for exhibiting "the calculated capriciousness of an absent father." Read These Next Beyonce leaves national anthem unfinished. Musk says his new party is in business. A Texas man's disappearance is fodder for true-crime mania. Kerr County considered a flood warning system years ago. Report an error