Serial Bride Who Married 10 Men In Apparent Immigration Scam Due In Court
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A woman accused of getting married 10 times in an apparent immigration scam is due in court Wednesday.
Liana Barrientos, 40, took a plea deal in Summer 2016 to a single felony count.
The Bronx District Attorney had earlier charged Barrientos with filing with a false instrument, claiming she was married 10 times since 1999 without divorcing some of her previous husbands.
The original charges against Barrientos alleged that she was believed to be married to four people at the time, and had previously been married to eight people simultaneously. Prosecutors said she filed the marriage licenses, spelling her name slightly different in some of them.
In a 2015 court appearance, the District Attorney said Barrientos married people from "red flagged" countries like Pakistan, Georgia, Turkey, Mali and Egypt and admitted to accepting money for one of the marriages.
Barrientos and her husbands filed marriage licenses all over New York state – including Westchester County, Rockland County, and Long Island, authorities said.
Under the terms, Barrientos will avoid prison time if she completes a 12 to 18 month outpatient drug rehab program. If she is arrested again or tests positive for drugs, she could spend up to four years in jail.
