36-year-old Rachel L. Amell Sentenced To 6 Years In Prison For Attempting To Protect Her 4-year-old Child From An Abusive Father In Waukesha County

Amell claimed she was attempting to protect her 4-year-old child from an abusive father in Wisconsin, but she was charged in Waukesha County with interfering with custody beyond visitation, and was convicted, then sentenced to 6 years in prison.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

October 21, 2025

Waukesha, Wisconsin - On October 2, 2025, Rachel L. Amell, 36, was sentenced to 6 years in prison, with 3 years in confinement and 3 years supervision for one felony count for interfering with custody beyond visitation, according to Waukesha County Court records.

Amell hasn't released any information, if she will be appealing her conviction.

Amell was convicted on June 3, but she claimed that she was just attempting to protect her 4-year-old child from an abusive father. In her X account (formerly Twitter), she posted on July 22, 2024 that she found her son alone on July 2, 2024 at his father's residence. (HNNUSA article link: http://hispanicnewsnetwork.blogspot.com/2024/08/34-year-old-rachel-amell-from-kentucky.html)

In August 2024, Amell contacted Hispanic News Network U.S.A. (HNNUSA) and compared her plight similar to the Julie Valadez case in Waukesha County. Amell said, that what she has experienced in Wisconsin (Waukesha County Family court) is corruption and collusion to violate her Constitutional rights as a mother, and she claims that her case is similar to the ongoing Julie Valadez v. Ricardo Valadez divorce case in Waukesha County, which Julie was the first to publicly expose the corruption and collusion by Waukesha County Family Court Judges Michael J. Aprahamian and Ralph M. Ramirez who were both forced from further presiding over the Valadez divorce case due to multiple erroneous decisions and not abiding by state laws to protect a domestic abuse spouse and her children (Wisconsin State of Appeals Court rulings in the Valadez divorce case). In this case, Julie Valadez was charged with two felony charges for interfering with the custody of another, and is currently residing in Canada, seeking refugee status. Julie's 4 children were illegally placed with the abusive father by both Judges Aprahamian and Ramirez, Judge Jennifer R. Dorow, is now presiding over Julie's case.

On July 18, 2024, Amell posted on her FB account, I deeply resonate with this story. One of the many reasons I left my ex-boyfriend, with whom I share a 4-year-old child, was his negligence and recklessness with my children. He would spend countless hours on video games, neglecting their needs. Unfortunately, nothing has changed. Recently, my son was left home alone, with the car garage doors wide open, and I discovered him in that situation. Despite this and many other instances of negligence, the court still continues to grant my ex-boyfriend full temporary custody of our child. To which, they have done illegally, as I have an Order on Stipulation which states that I have sole legal and sole physical custody of our child, and the right to move out of the state of Wisconsin without my ex boyfriend's approval. I left an unsafe relationship to protect my children, but now the court's decision has placed my son in danger. If anything happens to my son, I hold Waukesha County, in Wisconsin fully responsible.

On Sunday, Jacob Allen Trzebiatowski, 30, contacted HNNUSA and wrote, "I thought you all should be aware that Rachel Amell was tried by jury and convicted." He claimed that Amell had made false claims in the HNNUSA article, but he never attempted to challenge her claims due to the ongoing criminal case against Amell. 

So far, in his Facebook messenger massage to HNNUSA, Trzebiatowski didn't explained what false claims Amell had published in her social media accounts and had told HNNUSA in regards to her experience with the alleged corrupt Waukesha County family court system. Which, the Julie Valadez divorce case in Waukesha County had exposed to be one of the most corrupt family court systems in the state. The Waukesha County family court has had a history of not following state laws and Court of Appeals rulings in order to protect children in such cases where alleged abusive fathers are granted custody of children.