A Seminole man who is accused of failing to support his children says U.S. and Florida state laws don't apply to him.

Bobby C. Billie is a spiritual leader of the Traditional Seminole Nation, a non-federally recognized group. He says he doesn't have enough money to support his 11-year-old son and 9-year-old daughter.

That kind of talk doesn't sit well with Holly Baker, the mother of the two children. She calls Billie a deadbeat dad who abandoned his kids.

"He's basically abandoned his own children," Baker told The South Florida Sun-Sentinel. "This is really a spiritual leader who has no honor."

A state judge is determining whether forcing Billie to make child support payments infringes on his religious rights.

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Child-support case with a legal twist: Seminole leader Billie says U.S laws don't apply (The South Florida Sun-Sentinel 10/16)