US woman married 10 times; charged for saying she'd never been married before
Ten marriages, six divorces and now a possible four-year stay in jail. This isn't the story of a woman who was unlucky in love. Far from it.
In November 1999, 23-year-old Liana Barrientos got married in a city in New York.
Two years later, she got married again. 18 days after that, she got married yet again.
But Barrientos was far from done – she went on to marry another six men in 2002 and one man in 2010.
The marriages – all to foreigners – took place in different cities in the same US state.
At one point of time, she was concurrently married to eight men. That number, however, is now down to just four.
She married husband No. 7 for money
Federal investigators from Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security recently flagged her case, reported NBC New York.
Barrientos, 39, was charged in court on two counts of offering a false instrument for filing for indicating on her 2010 marriage application that she had not been married before.
She pleaded not guilty on Friday (April 10) though she admitted that she had married husband number seven for money.
If found guilty, she can be jailed for up to four years.
Several of the men applied for citizenship soon after marrying her, reported New York Times. Some divorced her and refiled with different women when their application was denied.
'Huge breach in security'
According to ABC News, seven of the men are from so-called 'red-flagged' countries like Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan and Mali.
It quoted former FBI agent Manny Gomez as saying: "This is a huge breach in security.
"Potentially, somebody in al Qaeda can come in, marry this (woman) and be in this country legally."
The authorities are investigating her husbands' whereabouts and reasons for coming to the US.
Barrientos has two children with two men, reported New York Post. Neither man was one of the 10 husbands.
Charged with theft after leaving court
Barrientos, a Dominican Republic native, has a criminal record dating as far back as 1997, reported syracuse,com. It includes arrests for drug possession, loitering and jumping a turnstile.
Two hours after leaving court on Friday, Barrientos was arrested for gaining entry to the subway without paying, reported New York Times.
She was charged with theft of service and criminal trespass for allegedly sneaking in through an emergency exit, said a police spokesman.
Sources: CNN, New York Times, ABC News, NBC New York, New York Post
What do we know about the husbands?
Husband #1: Married M. Gerbril on Nov 5, 1999. Divorced after her ninth marriage. Exact year not known.
Husband #2: Married A. Allam on Nov 8, 2001. Divorced after her ninth marriage. Exact year not known.
Husband #3: Married H. Rahman on Nov 26, 2001.
Husband #4: Married D. Koridze on Feb 14, 2002.
Husband #5: Married D. Goktepe on March 1, 2002. Divorced after her ninth marriage. Exact year not known.
Husband #6: Married A. Paharelau on March 14, 2002.
Husband #7: Married V. Dzneladze on May 24, 2002. An immigrant from the former Soviet republic of Georgia. Paid Barrientos a "couple of thousand" US dollars. Obtained his citizenship in 2006. Divorced her in 2007.
Husband #8: Married R. Rajput on July 22, 2002. An immigrant from Pakistan. In 2006, he was deported after an investigation by the Joint Terrorism Task Force. She is still married to him.
Husband #9: Married K. Khorbaladze on Aug 3, 2002.
Husband #10: Married S. Keita on March 4, 2010. An immigrant from Mali.
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now