Houston Dad Looking to Get Daughter Back From Brazil

After seeing what one New Jersey man did to get his son back from Brazil, a Texas father is looking to do the same.

Marty Pate says his ex-wife defied a custody agreement and returned to her native country of Brazil with the couple's 8-year-old daughter, Nicole, MyFoxHouston.com reports.

"Here we are three and a half years later, and still no daughter," Pate told MyFoxHouston.com, but in his renewed efforts, Pate is hopeful he'll have his daughter back in Texas by summer.

The case contains shades of the high-profile case of David Goldman, who recently won a five-year battle to get his son Sean back. Sean's mother had taken him to her native Brazil, where she later died, leaving Sean in the care of family there. Brazil's Supreme Court recently ruled that Sean should be returned to his father.

One congressman is hoping to help parents like Goldman and Pate.

Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, is co-sponsoring a bill that would make it harder for parents in custody disputes to flee the country with their kids. Brazil, in particular, has been of little help.

"Brazil for years has ignored the U.S. law that says those children should come to the United States," Poe told MyFoxHouston.com.

More on this story from MyFoxHouston.com.