DA: Alleged Serial Bride Got Married 10 Times Without Ever Divorcing
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A local bride allegedly walked down the aisle 10 times in different counties – without ever once getting a divorce.
As CBS2's Jessica Schneider reported, Liana Barrientos, 38, will now have to walk into court – because her alleged wedding record started to attract the attention of the police.
The Bronx District Attorney's office said Barrientos was caught after she filed her 10th and final marriage license.
A detective allegedly "observed certified copies" of certificates of marriage, despite the fact that Barrientos allegedly told him it was "her first and only marriage."
It turned out that Barrientos and her husbands filed marriage licenses all over New York state – including Westchester County, Rockland County, and Long Island, authorities said.
Licenses were filed in the Bronx, Huntington, Hempstead, Yonkers, Mamaroneck, Rye, White Plains, Greenburgh, Eastchester, and Ramapo.
The first license was filed in 1999, and the marriages allegedly happened in rapid succession -- sometimes within the same month, prosecutors said.
Barrientos married Mohamed Gerbil in November 1999, Ahmed Allam in November 2001, Habibur Rahman also in November 2001, Davit Koridze in February 2002, Duran Goktepe in March 2002, Aliaksandr Paharelau also in March 2002, Vakhtang Dzneladze in May 2002, Rashid Rajput in July 2002, Kakhaber Khorbaladze in August 2002, and Salle Keita in March 2010, prosecutors alleged.
Barrientos was busted after the Bronx DA caught onto her scheme. But it was not clear Thursday night why she did it.
"I just can't even imagine. I really can't. It's incredible," said Meg Burke of the East Side of Manhattan. "I mean, I can't imagine why she would even do it."
"That's kind of crazy," added Kelly Adams of Park Slope, Brooklyn. "Maybe she might be schizophrenic or have multiple personalities?"
Barrientos was scheduled for an arraignment Friday morning.