Houston man's bigamy: Three years behind bars for marrying multiple women
Houston - A Houston man found himself behind bars for three years after repeatedly marrying multiple women since 2019. Orlando Coleman,51, was handed the sentence last week for marrying a third woman just two months after being placed on probation for being simultaneously married to two other women.
"At the heart of this repeat offender’s schemes was a plan to defraud women and take advantage of them for financial gain," Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. "This man used the church to camouflage his scams and hide from any accountability or responsibility."
Orlando Coleman,51, was handed the sentence for marrying a third woman just two months after being placed on probation for being simultaneously married to two other women.( Courtesy of Houston Police Department)
Under the guise of a traveling bishop, Coleman married at least ten women in different states. Despite pleading guilty to bigamy in July 2023 and being placed on probation, he married another woman just two months later, violating the terms.
Bigamy, defined as being married to more than one person at a time, constitutes a third-degree felony in Texas and carries a possible punishment of up to 10 years in prison.
In 2021, Coleman wed a woman in Houston. However, five months into their marriage, the woman discovered Coleman was receiving money from another woman in Virginia. Upon contacting the woman in Virginia, she revealed she had been married to Coleman since 2019.
Alarmed by this revelation, the Houston woman reported the matter to the authorities. Subsequently, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office launched an investigation and filed bigamy charges against Coleman.
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In July 2023, Coleman pleaded guilty to bigamy in exchange for three years of deferred adjudication probation. However, just two months later, while still married to the woman in Virginia, Coleman tied the knot again with another woman in Kentucky, committing another offense of bigamy.
Upon learning about Coleman's new marriage, prosecutors from the Harris County District Attorney’s Office moved to revoke his probation. In a hearing on March 11, a judge sentenced Coleman to three years in prison.
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Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Goussen, who prosecuted Coleman, highlighted that his victims described him as a con man who married them for room, board, and any financial support they could provide.
"Run a background check, if possible, or try searching their name on the internet, look at their social media, and ask a lot of questions," Goussen said. "Unfortunately, many con artists hide behind important sounding titles, and it is easier than you think to get swept off your feet."