Bigamy

The practice of being married to one person while lawfully remaining married to another individual at one point in time is referred to as bigamy. If divorce has taken place or the marriage has been nullified, bigamy is not committed. Bigamy and polygamy are often confused with one another. Bigamy is the practice of being married to two women at the same time, hence the prefix “bi-.” Polygamy is the practice of being married to many women at the same time, hence the prefix “poly-.” Bigamy has been the bane of law enforcement officials’ for centuries in many locales around the world. It is one of the hardest crimes to recognize and is usually practiced by discreet parties.

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, bigamy became a con artist’s way of acquiring a mass amount of assets and funds. Partners of bigamists involved in these schemes were often oblivious to the criminal activity taking place in their “counterfeit” marriages; some were eventually murdered by their partners....