Natalie Khawam filed for bankruptcy after losing her custody battle

Nov 15, 2012 13:03 GMT  ·  By

Natalie Khawam is the twin sister of Petraeus whistle-blower and Tampa socialite Jill Kelley. Khawam knows Generals Petraeus and Allen well enough for them to support her during her custody battle, in September.

Kelley's sister was fighting for custody of her son, D.C. Superior Court records show. According to the Huffington Post, even as the Generals wrote letters in favor of Khawam, the judge deemed her immoral in her actions, and awarded her husband custody of their three-year-old, John.

37-year-old Khawam met Commander Allen during the time he served as deputy commander of U.S. Central Command, in the sisters' hometown of Tampa, Florida. She is very active on the Tampa social scene, as is sister Jill.

She also shares her sister's fate as she mingles with decorated generals and top army brass, and holds social functions, while being millions in debt. She was introduced to former CIA Director Petraeus by Kelley, according to a statement made by the General.

Allen and Petraeus both painted her as a loving mother, in their notes to the court.

"In light of Natalie's maturity, integrity and steadfast commitment to raising her child, I humbly request your reconsideration of the existing, mandated custody settlement," Allen's statement reads.

Superior Court Judge Neal Kravitz was not lenient towards the twin, not only stripping her of her custody rights, but also ordering her to pay her husband's legal bill, as the trial ended.

She was ordered to pay legal bills amounting to $350,000 (€235,000). In April, she had amassed $3 million (€2.3 million) in debt and filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy.

Khawam had made claims of domestic abuse, which the judge denounced as "an ever-expanding set of sensational accusations, […] so distorted that they defy any common sense view of reality."

He criticized Kelley's twin for her "misrepresentations about virtually everything," dubbing her behavior disrespectful and lacking in integrity.

"Ms. Khawam appears to lack any appreciation or respect for the importance of honesty and integrity in her interactions with her family, employers and others with whom she comes in contact," Kravitz wrote in November 2011.

Sister Jill Kelley also registered massive debt, having been sued nine times by separate financial institutions, as we wrote earlier today.