KANSAS CITY – Samantha C. Elmer, 33, Lawrence, is charged with one count of international parental kidnapping, one count of making a false statement on a passport, and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to U.S. Attorney Barry Grissom.

Elmer initially was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed Dec. 9 that alleged she took her two daughters to Europe to prevent her former husband from lawfully taking custody of the children.

If convicted, she faces a maximum penalty of three years in federal prison and a fine up to $250,000 on the parental kidnapping charge, a maximum penalty of 10 years and a fine up to $250,000 on the charge of making a false statement on a passport, and a mandatory two years (consecutive to other counts) on the identity theft charge. The following agencies worked on the investigation: the Lawrence Police Department, the FBI, Homeland Security Investigations, the Douglas County District Attorney’s Office, the Eudora Police Department, the Overland Park Police Department and the Johnson County District Attorney’s Office. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chris Oakley is prosecuting.