*A Florida man is charged with felony bigamy for marrying three women in separate counties.
According to ABC Action News, the women, Michele, Brandi, and Tonya Betsey, discovered they were all wed to Henry Betsey, Jr., exposing flaws in Florida’s marriage licensing system. “There are no safeguards, and I feel like that’s part of where the system failed,” Michele said.
Henry met Michele and Tonya on Match.com and Brandi on Stir, a dating app for single parents. “He said all the right things,” Brandi recalled. He married Tonya in Duval County on November 24, 2020, Brandi in Manatee County on February 22, 2022, and Michele in Hernando County on November 23, 2022. Each marriage occurred at a county courthouse, often within weeks of meeting. “It was very short. It was very soon. It was within about a three-week span,” Michele said.
The women were unaware of each other due to the lack of cross-county record checks. “If the counties did talk, it would have saved me a lot of heartache, a lot of money, a lot of stress,” Tonya said.
Florida’s marriage process relies on an honor system. “They swear that the information on the application is correct,” said Pinellas County Clerk Ken Burke, noting that licenses aren’t cross-referenced with divorce or death records.
Tonya uncovered Henry’s deception by searching county records. “I just started county by county, putting in his name,” she said. Michele, contacted by Tonya, alerted authorities, leading to Henry’s arrest in Seminole County. “I’m just looking at this. It’s so bizarre. We never get this charge,” the judge remarked at Henry’s hearing.
The women suspect Henry’s motives were financial. “The day we got married, he said, ‘We need to make your bank account a joint bank account,’” Brandi said.
Henry, now seeking annulments, faces a hearing this month. He pleaded not guilty to the felony bigamy charge.
The women hope for accountability, fearing he could repeat the scheme. “There’s nothing that is going to stop him from doing this again,” Michele warned.
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