Fight Bigamy

Why We Need a National Marriage Database

An article by Jerry Markon and Jamie Stockwell appeared in the The Washington Post today about Sham Marriages in Arlington County Virginia as well as other jurisdictions in Northern Virginia. According to Markon and Stockwell's article: Law-enforcement officials said the scheme took advantage of marriage laws they called lax in Virginia compared with those of the rest of the Washington region. Couples can apply for and be granted a license within minutes -- and can get married the same day. Yesterday, at the Arlington clerk's office, for example, a young couple, arm in arm, applied for a marriage license. Ten minutes later, a clerk asked them to raise their right hands and handed them a license. A sign nearby said: "Marriage licenses are $30 cash only. No checks, debit or credit cards."

Each state and the District of Columbia have laws for applying for a marriage license. A legal marriage provides benefits to both parties and is a legal, binding contract. Marriage licenses were not issued in the United States until the mid-1800s. In 1923, the Federal Government passed the Uniform Marriage and Marriage License Act. It was not until 1929 that every state had marriage license laws conforming to Federal standards. For the first time, every marriage in order to be legally recognized by the Federal Government had to be licensed.

Getting a marriage license is easy. In my home state of Virginia, the couple does not even have to be a resident of the state, there is no waiting period, and only some Virginia counties require a copy of a divorce decree if either of the applicants were married previously. You just have to show them your driver's license, pay $30 (cash), and you've got a license. The next day you could go to another county with another applicant and receive another marriage license.

This happens because there is no system in place to check to see if the applicants are married in another county much less another state. The proof of a prior marriage could be a divorce decree from two or three marriages back. The unsuspecting bride or groom wouldn't realize that there was a previous marriage that had not ended in divorce. Or depending on what was told to the other party, the appliciant could claim they had never been married. Getting away with multiple, fraudulent marriages in our country is a snap.

This system worked when it was first initiated because most people lived in rural communities where everyone knew one another, and punishment for bigamy was much more severe. Also most marriages at that time were religious unions and recorded in the family Bible.

Our archaic system is failing in our transitional, wireless-based society of today. Moreover, Internet dating sites have given many of these predators a whole new supply. Our fragile system is taken advantage of by serial bigamists sociopaths and con artists. Also fraudulent sham marriages, many that are bigamous, have become common among illegal aliens needing a green card and a path to citizenship.

A centralized National Marriage Database is desperately needed in this country. I urge you to sign Donna Layne Roberts' petition.

Dear Abby Gives 'Stressed' Daughter Advice on Bigamy

Dear Abby (Abigail Van Buren aka Jeanne Phillips) seems to get it now! In a previous response to a bigamy victim in October 2005, Abby told 'Wife in Crisis' to see an attorney and that she might have ground for annulment, and if she did, her problem would be solved. She didn't mention anything about bigamy being a crime or in most states a felony. In fact, Abby didn't even mention bigamy in her response to the 'Wife in Crisis'.

On July 25, 2006, Abby responded with a different tone to a 'Stressed' daughter on whether or not she should tell her mother that she knew her father was a bigamist. Read Abby's response on the DearAbby site.

If you want to congratulate Abby on her epiphany, email her.

Sign the Petition for a National Marriage Database

Bigamy would become a crime of the past if there were a National Database of Marriages and Divorce. Donna Layne Roberts, victim of the notorious "Don Juan of Con"--William Michael Barber--began a petition asking Congress to support this request and pass a law that will require All marriages and ALL divorces to be entered into a National Database.

Bigamy is a serious social and criminal problem that is overlooked, laughed at, and enabled by the way in which applications for marriage licenses are haphazardly given to applicants in the United States. If you apply for a marriage license, no background checking is done, and you are "at your word" to provide honest answers on the marriage application. A man or woman who is already married, could easily go today and get married and no checking is performed. Furthermore, there is no centralized database for jurisdictions to check to see whether or not a person is being truthful on their application.

Even a bigamous marriage can occur in the same in the same jurisdiction. Julia Bish-Judah-Hunt-White-McGovern married two men in Las Vegas. The marriages appear in the Clark County, NV marriage database. No checking was done to see if the serial bigamist obtained a divorce because Bish lied on her marriage application stating that Randy Bish was dead. Julia was married White, Hunt, McGovern, and Judah while still married to Randy Bish.

Bigamy is a felony in 37 states, yet rarely do bigamists ever spend a night in jail. Many get off with fines less than what most of us get for reckless driving tickets. It is cheaper to be a bigamist than get a divorce. Bigamists dish out emotional abuse to their victims, and they ruin them financially. Please sign the petition today and help ensure the prevalent crimes of bigamy and fraud will become harder to commit, and the sanctity of both religious and civil unions will be protected.

What other bloggers are saying about the petition for a National Marriage Database:

• Lovefraud Blog
• You're A Target Not a Victim
• Exposing Cyberpaths and Online Predators
• Con Men and Con Women
• Crime Sucks!

Do you think you are married to a bigamist? Do you know someone who is? Read this. Interested in a bigamy discussion group, please join.

I Am Married To A Bigamist

What Should I Do?

Too often, bigamy is a crime that goes unreported because its victims are embarrassed to go to the authorities. Victims are ashamed they have married someone who has not obtained an annulment or divorce from their previous spouse. Bigamy is socially unacceptable and it is not tolerated by our society. Bigamy is a crime.

But, why should you be ashamed? What have you done? You've done nothing, except love someone who has lied to you; you've done nothing except loved someone who has frauded you; you trusted your spouse to be honest with you. Speak up, go to the police, and don't back down.

I know I am married to a bigamist, what should I do?
If you know you are married to a bigamist, go to the police immediately. Also retain an attorney quickly to represent you in your annulment. If you have proof you are married to a bigamist, take both marriage licenses with you to the police, this will help speed the complaint process.

What if I am not sure my spouse is a bigamist?
If you are not sure, contact the previous spouse. Chances are he or she will be willing to help you. If the previous spouse is not willing to cooperate, try to secure the marriage license and look for the divorce decree or ask the police to contact the previous spouse.

Marriage licenses and divorce decrees are difficult to obtain because every state has different regulations and there is NO centralized database in the United States of marriage records.

Lovefraud.com has an excellent section on Mission Impossible: Finding Out If Someone Is Married that will help aid in your search.

I have filed a complaint but Law enforcement officials are dragging their feet. Should I give up?
Never give up; but welcome to the world of being married to a bigamist and dealing with law enforcement officials. Even though bigamy is a crime, it is not on the priority crime list of police. And in many jurisdictions, it is not even on the radar.

Frankly, bigamists are not the biggest fish to fry when thrust into the company of murderers, rapists, and gang-related violence. Nonetheless bigamy is a CRIME, and bigamy is a felony in all but thirteen states. Until victims start pushing and making law enforcement officials and prosecutors accountable for prosecuting this crime, it will remain unimportant and unrecognized.

Become relentless; become a bulldog. Make daily phone calls to the detective handling your case. If you are not satisfied, talk to his or her superior, and talk to the prosecutor handling your case. If you feel you are getting the runaround or your calls are not being returned, or your emails are deleted without being read, go to your elected county or city representative. You are a taxpayer and your hard-earned tax dollars help pay the salaries of the law enforcement officials. Do not give up.

Bigamy is an overlooked and unreported crime in the United States and UK. Bigamists wreak havoc in their victims' lives, not just emotionally but financially as well.

If you become relentless in your pursuit, you can make a difference. Read about a one brave woman's pursuit to ensure her bigamist spent two years in jail.

Bigamy Laws
Bigamy is a felony in most states. Bigamy statutes for each state and the District of Columbia are divided alphabetically into the following categories on Fighting Bigamy:

• Bigamy States A-G
• Bigamy States H-L
• Bigamy States M-P
• Bigamy States R-W

Please note there is no centralized database for jurisdictions to check to see whether or not a person is being truthful on their application. The sentences and fines for bigamy are less than for a DUI. If a National Marriage Database were in place, this would not be a problem. I urge you to sign the petition urging Congress to institute such a database.

Get A Grip "Dear Abby", The Guy's A Bigamist

A letter from "Wife in Crisis" appeared in the Dear Abby Column on Thursday, October 27, 2005. Note Abby's response; she doesn't even offer to advise the woman that her husband is a bigamist, if there is no record of the previous divorce. Shame on you Abby.