A Chinese pistillate with a fake passport is accused of marrying aggregate men successful the Las Vegas Valley, duping them retired of tens of thousands of dollars and past vanishing from their lives.
A Clark County authoritative said successful tribunal Wednesday that Jiaying Chen, 33, got joined 5 times this twelvemonth successful a substance of months. Two Metropolitan Police Department apprehension reports for Chen cumulatively place 14 antithetic matrimony certificates successful Clark County nether her sanction and an alias, Vicky Liang, since 2019.
Police said successful apprehension reports that Chen utilized an alias, fraudulent identifications and repeatedly lied connected aggregate Clark County matrimony applications to transportation retired the alleged fraud. The Clark County Marriage Bureau reported her to constabulary arsenic portion of a 2024 investigation, astir the aforesaid clip men reported being swindled by Chen aft gathering her connected the societal media level WeChat.
“After a abbreviated clip Chen would suggest they get married,” constabulary said. “Chen would supply antithetic stories, immoderate involving sick household members successful China and would commencement asking for money. Once Chen received the wealth she would interruption each connection with them.”
Police said Marriage License Bureau records showed that Chen submitted 14 matrimony applications betwixt March 11, 2019, and May 27, 2024.
Several of the alleged victims reported losing tens of thousands of dollars. One antheral told constabulary helium gave Chen $40,000 to assistance a sick household subordinate successful China and was ne'er repaid. Another said that instantly aft helium joined Chen, she asked for $23,000 to assistance a sick household member. Two weeks aft giving her the money, constabulary said, Chen told him “she didn’t privation to beryllium joined anymore to him.”
Another antheral told a akin communicative of losing $20,000. Yet different said helium dated Chen for a twelvemonth earlier marrying her, constabulary said. She suggested redeeming for a house, truthful helium and his household collected astir $30,000, which helium gave to Chen.
“Once helium gave the wealth to Chen, she stopped talking to him and helium couldn’t find her,” constabulary said.
In yet different case, constabulary said a antheral told them helium was pursuing an annulment of his matrimony to Chen erstwhile she joined different antheral earlier the annulment was final.
A pistillate listed arsenic a unfortunate successful constabulary reports told officers that Chen besides victimized her, allegedly carrying retired a cheque cashing strategy by penning atrocious checks from a man’s account, swindling her retired of $40,000.
In August 2024, Chen was charged by Clark County prosecutors with bigamy and theft of much than $100,000. She ne'er showed for an archetypal quality and an apprehension warrant was issued, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.
In June, constabulary said they received a extremity that Chen was readying to conscionable a antheral astatine a Las Vegas edifice to sermon getting married. Both Metro officers and Homeland Security investigators acceptable up surveillance and arrested her. Police said Chen had a fraudulent passport and a fake Nevada driver’s license.
This clip Chen was arrested connected suspicion of bigamy, theft of much than $25,000 and forgery. She is being held astatine the Clark County Detention Center.
Contact Glenn Puit astatine gpuit@reviewjournal.com.
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