Father of "55 Children" Arrested for Paternity Fraud

NEW YORK (CBS) A man who reportedly claims to have fathered "55 children" has been arrested on charges of paternity fraud, which could land him up to 10 years in jail if he's convicted.

According to Reuters, the unidentified man living in Paris reportedly registered 55 children by at least 42 different women in what police are calling a massive social benefits scam that could have cost the state over $1 million in annual claims by the mothers.

The 54-year-old man of African descent was arrested in his home in Paris during a police raid. According to the court documents, his address had 50 people registered as living there.

According to Reuters, he allegedly charged the women a fee to register the children, which then allowed the mothers and their children to claim social benefits and obtain residency permits. Some of the mothers reportedly said they had received approximately $8,000 per month for various allowances.

"At the moment, 42 women have been identified and each claim that the man is the biological father of their child," police said in a statement to Reuters.

"Investigations are ongoing and an investigating magistrate will decide whether DNA tests have to be administered to determine the children's paternity," a police spokesman said to the news organization.

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