In a bizarre case from Las Vegas, a woman is facing accusations of marrying over a dozen men to bankroll her excessive gambling habits.
Jiaying Chen, 33, is alleged to have secured 14 marriage licenses in Clark County since March 2019, as part of a sophisticated scheme to generate income.
Using the alias ‘Vicky Liang’ and a forged ID for seven years, Chen reportedly convinced her numerous spouses to collectively send her more than $100,000 by falsely claiming she needed the money to care for ill relatives in China, according to prosecutors.
Instead, authorities say Chen squandered the funds on gambling at the upscale Wynn casino on the Las Vegas Strip, accumulating losses exceeding $300,000 just in the past year.
“It seems that the money she acquired was used for gambling, not for supporting any overseas relatives,” police stated, as reported by the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Chen appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, and she plans to plead guilty later this week to one count each of bigamy and obtaining money under false pretenses, her lawyer told the Review-Journal.
The accused swindler was initially arrested in 2024, but was released on bond and somehow managed to evade law enforcement until this year.
Chen was caught in a joint sting by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department (LVMPD) and the Department of Homeland Security on June 4 after they received a tip that she was planning to meet a man at a restaurant to discuss getting married.
Las Vegas resident Jiaying Chen, 33, has been accused of marrying more than a dozen men and using their cash to fund her out-of-control gambling habit. She is pictured in court
Jiaying Chen, 33, allegedly managed to obtain 14 marriage certificates in Clark County since March 2019 as part of an elaborate moneymaking scheme. Police said she used a fake ID under the name ‘Vicky Laing’ for more than seven years
Chen instead spent the money gambling at the luxury Wynn casino (pictured) on the Las Vegas Strip, where she lost more than $300,000 in the last year alone, according to police
Detectives tracked Chen down using surveillance footage and police said they arrested her at the restaurant before she could snare another potential victim.
LVMPD said several of her current and previous spouses claimed Chen had convinced them to tie the knot after just months of knowing each other.
They reported that she would then ask them for a large sum of money, only to cut ties with them after receiving the funds.
‘After a short time, Chen would suggest they get married,’ police said, per the Review-Journal.
‘Chen would provide different stories, some involving sick family members in China and would start asking for money.
‘Once Chen received the money, she would break all communication with them.’
One man told police Chen had asked him for $40,000 to help a sick relative in China, and another said she requested $23,000, only to tell him she ‘didn’t want to be married anymore’ after receiving the sum.
A third man said he married Chen six months after meeting her, and gave her $20,000 to help her half-sister. He said they are still currently married.
Police said Chen used a fake ID under the name ‘Vicky Liang’ for more than seven years
Chen lost more than $300,000 at the luxury Wynn casino on the Las Vegas strip in the past year alone, according to prosecutors. The Wynn is pictured towards the front of the strip
Chen also allegedly targeted a woman, who claimed she was swindled out of $40,000 after Chen wrote bad checks from a former husband’s bank account.
Further details of how Chen allegedly pulled off this scam were not given.
When Chen was arrested in 2024, detectives asked her why she declined to marry some of the men she had obtained marriage certificates for.
‘She stated not everyone pays which is why they don’t get the marriage certificate,’ police told the Review-Journal.
Chen told detectives she ‘could make as much as $20,000 from one marriage’ and that she ‘only conducts the fake marriages in Las Vegas because it is so easy to get married.’
Chief Deputy District Attorney Austin Beaumont said Chen has agreed to plead guilty to one count each of bigamy and obtaining money under false pretenses more than $100,000 – both felonies.
‘It will permit the victims of these crimes to provide restitution reports to the court and, ideally, get reimbursed from this defendant for the money she has taken,’ Beaumont said, per the Review-Journal.