A New York man faces up to two years in prison and more than $250,000 in fines after he was convicted last week of failure to pay legal child support.

Wayne L. Nelson, 38, of West Babylon, N.Y., was convicted by a federal jury on June 30 after he failed to pay child support in an amount greater than $10,000 for a child who lives in South Dakota, according to a news release from U.S. Attorney Marty Jackley.

"There are few things which are more fundamental in our society than the obligation of parents to support their children when they have an ability to pay," Jackley said in the release. "This verdict, and the law upon which it is based, reminds us of that principle."

Nelson was indicted by a federal grand jury for failure to pay child support in April 2008. Federal law makes it a felony for a parent to willfully fail to pay child support with respect to a child who lives in another state if the obligation has remained unpaid for longer than two years or exceeds $10,000.

Nelson was released pending sentencing.