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  "path": "/news/us/french-woman-deported-stepson-informs-us-government",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-18T14:09:02.000Z",
  "site": "https://www.gbnews.com",
  "tags": [
    "British soldier fights for his life after quad bike accident in Greece as terrified girlfriend heard crash from their hotel room",
    "Four travel firms collapse leaving bookings cancelled with 'uncertain prospects for refunds'",
    "UK risks destruction of £70billion car trade partnership with EU as new rules threaten Brexit agreement",
    "The GB News Editorial Charter"
  ],
  "textContent": "\n\n\nAn 86-year-old French woman has been deported from the United States after a judge determined her stepson exploited his federal government connections to have her detained by immigration authorities amid a dispute over her late husband's estate.\n\nMarie-Therese Helene Claire Ross-Mahé was removed from the country on Thursday following her arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers on April 1.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nCalhoun County Probate Judge Shirley Millwood concluded that William \"Tony\" Ross, a former state trooper now employed by the federal government, contacted a colleague to arrange his stepmother's detention.\n\nThe judge wrote in her court order: \"After the brothers were unsuccessful in coercing Ms Ross to accept their offer, this court believes William Anthony Ross used his position as a United States Federal Government employee for personal gain.\"\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nTRENDING\n\nStories\n\nVideos\n\nYour Say\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe couple met for the first time more than five decades ago.\n\nThey first encountered one another during the late 1960s when Bill Ross was stationed in France as a US Army officer, while Ms Ross-Mahé worked as a bilingual secretary at a Nato installation.\n\nFollowing their initial meeting, the pair went their separate ways and established families of their own, before both eventually losing their spouses.\n\nAfter reconnecting as widowers, they wed in April 2025, with Ms Ross-Mahé relocating to Anniston, Alabama, a modest town with a population of approximately 22,000.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe retired Army Captain passed away on January 24 this year, leaving his bride of merely nine months a widow.\n\nMs Ross-Mahé had arrived in the US in June 2025 and was pursuing permanent residency when her husband died.\n\nThe inheritance at stake comprised of Mr Ross's home, valued at roughly £136,000, approximately £1,200 in cash, and personal belongings worth around £8,000, including a Mercedes-Benz C300 and a truck.\n\nMs Ross-Mahé informed her stepsons she had no interest in claiming her late husband's possessions and simply wanted sufficient funds to return to France and be with her children.\n\nNevertheless, Tony and his brother Gary, a US Coast Guard veteran, seized both vehicles from the property the day after their father died.\n\n### LATEST DEVELOPMENTS\n\n\n\n\n  * British soldier fights for his life after quad bike accident in Greece as terrified girlfriend heard crash from their hotel room\n  * Four travel firms collapse leaving bookings cancelled with 'uncertain prospects for refunds'\n  * UK risks destruction of £70billion car trade partnership with EU as new rules threaten Brexit agreement\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nWithin a week, the brothers attempted to compel their stepmother to surrender Mr Ross's mobile phone.\n\nThey subsequently disconnected the water, electricity and internet at the residence.\n\nThe pair also redirected all postal deliveries, including crucial immigration correspondence intended for Ms Ross-Mahé.\n\nThe brothers proposed paying her £8,000 to relinquish her estate rights.\n\nDespite Tony Ross testifying that he never made any call or held any conversation requesting his stepmother's deportation, Judge Millwood pointed to compelling evidence suggesting otherwise.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nThe judge noted that Tony received communication from US Marshals the day prior to Ms Ross-Mahé's arrest, informing him she would be taken into custody.\n\nWithin an hour of immigration agents detaining the elderly woman at her home whilst she wore only her nightgown and dressing gown, Tony received a text message confirming she was in custody.\n\nUpon learning of her detention, Tony notified Gary, who promptly travelled to the property with his wife and replaced all the locks.\n\nJudge Millwood has called upon federal authorities to investigate the circumstances surrounding Ms Ross-Mahé's arrest.\n\nDespite Judge Millwood's recommendation for a federal investigation, the 86-year-old was nonetheless deported to France.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n###\n\n\n\n\nA Department of Homeland Security spokesman confirmed her deportation, stating she had entered the country in June 2025 under the Visa Waiver Programme, which permitted a 90-day stay.\n\nHer solicitor, Kimberly Willingham, said Ms Ross-Mahé arrived back in France exhausted and unwell.\n\n\"She was not given her meds while in the Louisiana facility,\" Ms Willingham stated, adding that medical appointments were scheduled.\n\nThe lawyer maintained her client had complied with all visa requirements and had attended an immigration appointment just days before her detention.\n\nMs Willingham noted the French consulate played a significant role in securing Ms Ross-Mahé's release, expressing gratitude to all who helped return her client home to her children.\n\n###\n\n\n\n\n**Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter**",
  "title": "French woman, 86, who moved to the US to marry her army sweetheart deported after Ice rip her from her bed"
}