Bigamy and Polygamy Defense
In Utah, bigamy is unlawfully marrying or cohabiting with another person when already married. This means that if you are married and you separate from your spouse and move in with your boyfriend or girlfriend before you are divorced you are technically committing the crime of bigamy. Bigamy is a felony and can cause you to go to jail for up to five years.
Polygamy is a branch of the bigamy and merely means that you are married or cohabiting with multiples spouses or partners. Polygamists in Utah are generally charged and convicted under Utah’s bigamy statute. Utah’s history of polygamy as well as the polygamist remnants scattered throughout the state make Utah unique in that it tends to have more prosecutions of polygamists and bigamists than other states.
Constitutional Issues of Bigamy
Lately the right to privacy has extended into the relationships of consenting adults more so than in the past and bigamists and polygamists have various constitutional defenses under the right of privacy than they did in the first couple of centuries of criminal law in the United States.
If you have been charged with bigamy you will want the constitutional know-how of Utah Defenders. The Salt Lake City criminal defense attorneys at Utah Defenders believe in protecting the natural rights of individuals and will make the constitutional arguments necessary to provide you with an excellent defense.
Let Us Defend Your Rights
When facing the state’s bigamy charges you do not want to approach your defense without the criminal defense experience of Utah Defenders. If you have been charged with bigamy in Utah call Utah Defenders at 801.618.1334 and let us take over your defense. You deserve to be with your family, not in jail, so contact us by phone or email and let us know how we can help you.
