Alleged Serial Bride Shows Up At Court A Day Late
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) -- A woman accused of marrying 10 times has reported to a Bronx court a day late after a warrant was issued for her arrest.
Liana Barrientos pleaded not guilty in April to filing a fake instrument. She was scheduled for a court appearance Monday, but prosecutors say she didn't show up. They say she appeared Tuesday on her own.
According to a criminal complaint, the 39-year-old woman obtained two of the marriage licenses in the Bronx. The others were obtained in Westchester County and on Long Island. Prosecutors say the first one was obtained in 1999.
The complaint says she was arrested following a probe of her most recent marriage in 2010.
Her lawyer has not commented on the case and didn't immediately respond to a new request.
Barrientos 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 would make subtle changes to her name on marriage license 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 deported to Pakistan after an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force.
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.
(TM and © Copyright 2015 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2015 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
