‘I Was Made a Fool Of’: Man Charged with Bigamy After His Third Wife Learns About New Wedding Registry On Social Media

Authorities in Houston, Texas have filed charges against a man accused of marrying another woman while he was still wedded to his current wife.

Marcus Andra Shorten now faces a bigamy charge. Court records reveal the 53-year-old’s name is listed on two marriage licenses, but no official divorce filings, according to KTRK .

What adds insult to injury is that his third wife, who he is still married to, found out he remarried through Facebook.

Requesting to only go by her first name, Tammie told KTRK that she married Shorten in 2012. She and Shorten did separate in 2019, but never filed for divorce because Shorten reportedly didn’t want his family to think he was a “failure.”

“You can’t go around lying and misleading individuals at your self-satisfaction,” Tammie said. “I feel like I was made a fool of.”

A few short years later, in December 2023, Tammie heard tell of a new wedding registry for Shorten. He and his fiancée got married this past January.

“I told him, ‘Before you let the whole world know what you’re doing, make sure your business is right,'” Tammie said.

Shorten told KTRK on Wednesday that he isn’t married to anyone and was unaware that he had been charged.

“It’s not like you don’t know what a divorce is because you’ve been married several times before,” Tammie said. “You not only have destroyed my life, but now you have destroyed somebody else’s life.”

Bigamy is defined as the act of going through a marriage ceremony while already being married to another person. While bigamous relationships can be consensual, the practice is outlawed in all parts of the United States.

In Texas, bigamy is a third-degree felony. Shorten could face up to 10 years in prison and a maximum possible fine of $10,000 if convicted.

If someone marries a person who is 17, the charge is upgraded to second degree which is punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a $10,000 fine. If the person is 16 or under, then the offender would be charged in the first degree which is punishable by up to life in prison.

‘I Was Made a Fool Of’: Man Charged with Bigamy After His Third Wife Learns About New Wedding Registry On Social Media