An elderly woman from France, who relocated to Alabama to wed her American Army sweetheart, found herself unexpectedly in the custody of Immigration and Customs Enforcement amid a dispute over inheritance with her stepson.
Marie-Therese Helene Claire Ross-Mahé, aged 86, was deported on Thursday following an arrest instigated by her late husband’s son, as revealed by the Daily Mail.
According to court papers, immigration officers forcibly removed Marie-Therese from her bed at her home in Anniston on April 1, while she was dressed only in her nightgown and robe.
She was subsequently held at a detention center in Louisiana and has since been deported for exceeding the duration of her tourist visa, as confirmed by a spokesperson from Homeland Security.
Marie-Therese had moved to Anniston, a quaint town of 22,000 residents, after marrying retired Army Captain William “Bill” Ross in April of the previous year.
Their paths first crossed in the late 1960s when he was stationed in France and she was working as a bilingual secretary at a NATO base.
They spent decades apart and had their own respective families, but reconnected and sparked a romance after both becoming widowed.
Marie-Therese entered the country in June 2025 and had been trying to obtain a green card when her husband of just nine months passed away on January 24.
A judge has now ruled that after his death, Bill’s son William ‘Tony’ Ross used his connections in federal government to have Marie-Therese arrested by ICE.
Marie-Therese Helene Claire Ross-Mahé, 86, was deported Thursday after spending more than two weeks in an ICE detention center
She came to the US in June 2025 after having married retired Army Captain William ‘Bill’ Ross, pictured together. The couple met in the 1960s, reconnected and got married in April last year
Tony, a former state trooper and currently federal government employee, contacted a colleague to request that his stepmom be detained, Calhoun County Probate Judge Shirley Millwood wrote in a court order.
The request came after Bill’s death when Tony and his brother Gary Ross were trying to take control of their late father’s estate, the filing said.
The estate consisted of Bill’s modest $172,000 home, roughly $1,500 in cash and about $10,000 in personal property, including his Mercedes-Benz C300 and a truck.
Marie-Therese told Tony and Gary, a US Coast Guard veteran, that she did not want her late husband’s assets, and only wanted enough money to return to her France to be with her children, the judge wrote.
But a dispute quickly arose, with Tony and Gary having taken both of Bill’s vehicles from the property the day after his death, according to the documents.
Roughly a week later after the brothers tried to force their stepmother to turn Bill’s phone over to them, Millwood wrote.
Tony and Gary then had the water, electricity and internet at the home turned off.
They also had all of the mail rerouted from the residence, which included notices from immigration services that were sent to Marie-Therese, the judge said.
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Bill’s death son William ‘Tony’ Ross, pictured, used his position as a federal government employee to have ICE arrest his stepmother, a judge said
Bill’s son Gary Ross, pictured together, was also involved in the plot, court filings allege
Bill’s estate consisted of his modest $172,000 Anniston, Alabama home, roughly $1,500 in cash and about $10,000 in personal property, including his Mercedes-Benz C3000 and a truck
The pair even offered to pay Marie-Therese $10,000 if she signed away her rights to the estate, the judge’s order stated.
‘After the brothers were unsuccessful in coercing Ms. Ross to accept their offer, this court believes William Anthony Ross used his position as a United States Federal Government employee for personal gain,’ Millwood wrote.
Tony testified that he did not make a call or have a conversation requesting his stepmother’s deportation.
But Millwood cited how Tony received a message from US Marshals the day before her arrest alerting him that she would be detained.
He also received a text message within an hour of her arrest confirming her detention, the order stated.
After receiving those communications, Tony alerted Gary who then went to the property with his wife and changed all the locks.
Millwood urged the federal government to investigate the circumstances surrounding Marie-Therese’s arrest, but despite the judge’s recommendation she has since been deported.
‘Marie-Therese Helene Ross, an illegal alien from France. She last entered the country in June 2025 under the Visa Waiver Program, which permitted her to remain in the country for 90 days. Seven months later, she is still illegally in the United States,’ a DHS spokesperson told the Daily Mail.
Marie-Therese entered the country in June 2025 and had been trying to obtain a green card at the time of Bill’s death on January 24 this year
DHS confirmed that she was repatriated to France, and urged all illegal aliens ‘self-deport now.’ The spokesperson noted that the US is currently offering $2,600 and a free flight to people who self-deport.
Marie-Therese’s attorney Kimberly Willingham also confirmed her repatriation, telling the Daily Mail that she is now back with her children.
‘She was exhausted and not feeling well when she landed,’ Willingham said. ‘She has medical appointments on Monday because she was not given her meds while in the Louisiana facility.’
The attorney added that Marie-Therese felt that neither she nor the other inmates at the Louisiana detention center were treated well.
‘Ms. Marie’s position is she did everything she was supposed to do with regard to obtaining her green card. She had attended an appointment just days prior to her detention in compliance with her Visa status,’ Willingham added.
‘The French consulate was heavily involved in Ms Marie’s release and we are grateful to everyone involved in helping get my client home.’
