Warrant Issued For Alleged Serial Bride's Arrest After She Misses Court
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A warrant has been issued for the arrest of the alleged serial bride from the Bronx, after she was a no-show in court Monday.
As CBS2's Dick Brennan reported, Liana Barrientos' attorney was in court Monday. But there was no sign of the accused serial polyandrist.
The woman who has allegedly skipped out on 10 marriages in an immigration scam also skipped Monday's proceeding, and now is a runaway bride, Brennan reported. The warrant was issued in a result.
Barrientos, 39, was charged last month with filing with a false instrument, claiming she was married 10 times since 1999 without divorcing some of her previous husbands.
Prosecutors said at her arraignment last month that she has a record of marrying foreign nationals.
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.
"Seven of the men used the marriage to file for legal assistant resident status with immigration, and we found out when some of them were denied, they filed for divorce immediately and refiled for their immigration status with other marriages," said Bronx Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lupo.
Prosecutors said Barrientos and the husbands filed for marriage licenses all over the New York metro area, including Westchester and Rockland counties and Long Island.
Prosecutors said Barrientos would make subtle changes to her name on the applications, and local authorities said towns take applicants at their word.
Court papers said Barrientos is currently married to four men, and some of the 10 were from so-called "red-flagged countries." One of them has been kicked out after an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
"One of the men was put into removal by the Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation regarding making threatening statements towards the U.S. and was deported," Lupo said.
That man was groom No. 8, Rashid Rajput, who was deported to Pakistan, prosecutors alleged.
After appearing in court last month on the charges stemming from the alleged multiple marriages, Barrientos was arrested for allegedly jumping the turnstile at a Bronx subway station.
Police alleged Barrientos and her 19-year-old niece, Tracy Barrientos, walked through the emergency gate at the subway station at East 149th Street and Grand Concourse, sources told CBS2.
Liana Barrientos was arraigned a second time on April 10 on a new charge of theft of service, and was released without any bail being set, CBS2 reported. Her niece's case was dismissed.
Barrientos covered her face as she walked out of court in the Bronx that night for the second time in one day – alongside her niece. They said nothing except for a few obscenities.
Liana Barrientos swung at CBS2's cameras as they walked, and both she and her niece spat at the camera, CBS2's Sonia Rincon reported at the time.
