With the firestorm of media reports about the 416 children from the YFZ Ranch being taken into Texas' state custody and the ensuing custody hearing over their custody, the women of YFZ has made statements that trouble the Texas Attorney General.
The recent
raid on the YFZ Ranch made major head line news and as the debate rages on about the
custody of 416 children removed from the polygamist compound, the women from the YFZ Ranch have made some public statements to reporters that has Greg Abbott, the Texas Attorney General, asking some
questions about bigamy.
Bigamy is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another.
In the United States, bigamy is against the law, because of the contract a married person makes upon becoming married, that person is under obligation not to marry again as long as the first marriage continues.
In an interview with Fox News, Abbott questions statements that some women who have spoken to news reporters from the Fundamentalist LDS Church's Eldorado ranch made, where it appears they admitted to bigamy.
According to Abbott,
"Questions were made to those women, and I think those women need to be asked some other questions. The women were asked on national TV if they were married to men who were also married to other women. And they answered yes. That's a violation of Texas bigamy laws."
The Texas Attorney General's Office declined to say whether they were actively pursuing a bigamy prosecution against the women. Jerry Strickland, who is Abbott's spokesperson says,
"Our office has been in frequent communication with law enforcement and prosecutors handling this case. However, at this time we wouldn't disclose the nature of those conversations nor discuss any ongoing criminal investigations."
He continues to assert that this whole case is still being investigated and that their office is not involved in the prosecution of any offense at this point.
Utah has successfully prosecuted polygamists Tom Green and FLDS member Rodney Holm for bigamy, alongside other offenses accusing them of marriages with minors.
Abbott's comments though prompted a response from the lawyers for the FLDS, who says,
"I thought that the bigamy law was designed to protect women who are victims of a fraudulent marriage, If he (the Texas Attorney General) intends to prosecute these women then he is prosecuting the victims he is trying to protect."
It is doubtful that Texas will pursue charges of bigamy against the women of FLDS, but that doesn't mean that further questions will not be asked about the public statements made to the press by these women.
