BOSTON -- Clark Rockefeller, the man accused of abducting his daughter in a Back-Bay neighborhood Sunday, chose to give up custody of the 7-year-old girl in order to keep his identity a secret, according to the Boston Herald.

Rockefeller reportedly signed off on a divorce settlement with his ex-wife last year after she exposed him as a fraud in court. The Herald cites an unnamed source who said that Rockefeller agreed to relinquish all custodial privileges in the arrangement, and was allowed only supervised visits with his daughter.

Ex-wife Sandra Boss claimed that Rockefeller had created his phony alias to pretend he had a connection to the wealthy oil family. It is still unclear whether Boss ever knew Rockefeller’s true identity. He was unable to provide a copy of his birth certificate to Boss’ lawyers.

In exchange for full custody of her daughter, Boss agreed to give Rockefeller almost $1 million. Reigh Storrow Mills Boss then moved to London with her mother, a wealthy managing consultant, in December. Boss had finished paying out the settlement to Rockefeller only weeks before he allegedly abducted the girl, according to the source.

Rockefeller was his daughter’s primary care provider from the day she was born, sources said. He took Reigh to and from school, watched her while his wife worked long hours and was in charge of her discipline.

“The mother was always working and he essentially raised the child . . . but the father was a control freak,” said the source. “Ultimately, he refused to say who he really was, so she got custody.”

Rockefeller allegedly told a number of false stories about his past. He claimed to be a graduate of Yale and sometimes Harvard, and said that his wealth came from his parents, who were killed in a car crash in Connecticut. Rockefeller has no bank account, credit card, passport, Social Security number or driver’s license, according to the Herald.

Rockefeller and his daughter were last seen at Grand Central Terminal in New York earlier in the week. Since then, Boston police have received hundreds of tips from across the country about the pair’s whereabouts. Some of the reported sightings include: Port Jefferson, N.Y.; Smyrna, Del.; and Turks and Caicos.

Turks and Caicos Detective Sgt. Calvin Chase said Friday that Rockefeller was spotted on two occasions and that the girl's hair had been cut short. He said Rockefeller was spotted at 9:30 a.m. at a NAPA auto store and then at 2:30 p.m. at a 7-Eleven convenience store.

Boston police said Friday that the girl and man were not the Rockefellers, but officials did not disclose how they ruled out the sightings.

On Thursday, Reigh's mother, Sandra Boss, made a plea, asking her former husband to bring her "princess" home safe.

"Although many things have changed, you will always be Reigh's father and I will always be Reigh’s mother. We both love her dearly and have only her best interests and well-being in our hearts. I ask you now, please, please bring 'Snooks' back. There has to be a better way for us to solve our differences than this way," Boss said. "And Reigh, honey, I love you and miss you so much. Remember you're always a princess."