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(New York City) A gay man involved in a bitter battle with his estranged husband - and who had fled Israel with the son they were raising - has pled guilty to custodial interference.
Eric Hyett, 37, will be sentenced next month to 45 days in jail and five years of probation under a deal reached with prosecutors.
Had he been convicted at a trial, he could have faced four years in prison.
Hyett and Joshua Glazer, 29, were married in Massachusetts four years ago and lived in New York City. They separated last year.
While still together, they adopted a boy, Jedidiah, shortly after his birth, when the boy;s mother, a friend of the couple;s, gave him up.
When the couple;s breakup turned nasty, the battle centered around the boy, now 2 years old.
After the couple separated, a court awarded Glazer primary custody and Hyett visitation rights.
Under the court terms, Hyett was allowed to see the boy every weekend.
In early August, Hyett asked to keep the boy two extra days so that he could take Jedidiah to Boston to visit his grandparents and Glazer agreed.
But Hyett fled with the child to Jerusalem. They were located by Israeli police and little Jedidiah was returned to Glazer about two weeks later.
Hyett returned to the U.S. voluntarily on Aug. 22. He was arrested in Boston at Logan Airport and waived extradition to New York.
Police say they believe it to be the first custodial abduction case in New York City involving a married gay couple in memory.
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