Pastor Caught in Bigamy Scandal at Infamous Retirement Community

A pastor residing in Florida’s infamous retirement enclave, The Villages, found himself in legal trouble after publicly declaring his marital status on social media. Leslie Williams, aged 62, was apprehended on charges of bigamy after he updated his profile to ‘married’ and shared a photo of his new spouse.

Authorities from the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office detained Williams at his residence on Wednesday, subsequently placing him in county jail without the option of bond. The situation unfolded when an officer arrived at Williams’ Lady Lake home around 3:40 p.m. to deliver an out-of-state warrant.

However, when the officers reached his residence, Williams was not present. As they patrolled the area, they spotted his blue Ford pickup truck and proceeded to conduct a traffic stop, as detailed in the arrest warrant.

Listed as an ‘out of state fugitive,’ Williams faces charges originating from Rockdale, Georgia. The warrant specifies that he will be extradited to face the charges. This case highlights the sometimes unexpected intersections between personal life disclosures on social media and the law.

He’s listed as an ‘out of state fugitive’ and was arrested on charges from Rockdale, Georgia. The arrest warrant states that he will be extradited. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office for the arrest warrant and a timeline on the extradition.  

Williams shared on Facebook in December that he got married to a woman named Cindy, who did not appear to have a social media account. 

‘Wow I thought you were already married. Congratulations!!’ one comment on the post read. 

Leslie Williams, pictured above in a social media post last year, was arrested in Florida earlier this week on an out-of-state warrant 

Williams has been accused of bigamy. He posted a photo of his new wife, Cindy, pictured above, on his Facebook in December 

Williams was arrested on April 22 by the Sumter County Sheriff’s Office and has been booked in jail without bond. He’s pictured above in a booking photo 

‘Love is in the air! Mr. & Mrs. Williams!’ another added.  

A few days later, he shared a photo of his bride and wrote: ‘Thanks for all the wonderful comments referencing my saved, beautiful and talented wife, Mrs. Williams! She’s saved for real, praise God!!!’

That same week, he shared a selfie driving and responded to a comment praising him for looking ‘like a different man.’

‘I am, my wife is an amazing woman, I feel the way I look! Thank you Sis!!!’ he responded. 

Williams operates the Leslie Williams Ministries, which advertises services preparing you for the end of time.’  

‘At Leslie Williams Ministries, our mission is to spread the message of hope and love through faith in Jesus Christ and prepare as many as we can for the end of time!’ their mission statement reads. 

‘We believe in empowering individuals as disciples to strengthen their relationship with God, each other and with new disciple recruits..’

The ministry’s address is in a shopping center that appears to be owned by Safe Ship. 

Williams operates Leslie Williams Ministries and is a pastor. He lives in The Villages in Florida, according to jail records. Williams is pictured above in a social media post shared in 2024 

The address listed online for Leslie Williams Ministries appears to be a Safe Ship store in an outdoor shopping center, pictured above 

Leslie Williams Ministries did not answer a phone call from the Daily Mail on Friday when contacted for comment. According to jail records, Williams is still in custody. 

Williams is a resident of The Villages, an unincorporated community in Florida with a large retiree population. 

The community is larger than Manhattan and encompasses five zip codes. A 2021 documentary called Some Kind of Heaven, directed by Lance Oppenheim, explored the bizarre utopia where residents say people participated in swinging and there was a black market for Viagra. 

In 2023, a TikTok video went viral depicting loofahs hanging outside of people’s cars, which some speculated were codes for swinging. 

The video also included a chart previously shared on Reddit of what the different colors of loofahs meant. 

A restaurant worker told the Daily Mail in 2014 that they were once paid $100 for three hours of work at a swingers party in The Villages.