CENTRAL ISLIP, N.Y. (AP) - A New York man dubbed the federal government's most wanted deadbeat parent has pleaded guilty to failing to pay more than $1.2 million in child support.

Robert Sand made the admission Thursday in U.S. District Court in Central Islip.

Sand admitted the debt stems from child support rulings from two failed marriages. The amount includes interest and penalties.

He faces up to four years in prison when he is sentenced in May.

Sand told Judge Joseph Bianco that he fled first to Florida and later to Thailand.

He was arrested in December in the Philippines. He was then extradited back to New York. He is being held without bail.

His attorney says Sand contacted authorities last year, indicating Sand wanted to end years of hiding over the debt.

Copyright 2013 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.