HOUSTON — A Houston man accused of marrying multiple women in Texas and other states so he could take their money is going to prison.
Orlando Coleman, 51, pleaded guilty to bigamy and was sentenced to three years in prison.
Coleman portrayed himself as a bishop who traveled to churches around the country. Prosecutors believe he married at least 10 women nationwide.
“At the heart of this repeat offender’s schemes was a plan to defraud women and take advantage of them for financial gain,” Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said. “This man used the church to camouflage his scams and hide from any accountability or responsibility.”
Coleman messed with the wrong woman in 2021 when he married a Houstonian. That's when his ongoing scam began to unravel.
Five months after the wedding, the Houston bride discovered her new husband was receiving money from a woman in Virginia. She tracked her down and learned that she had married Coleman in 2019.
The Houston woman contacted the Harris County Sheriff’s Office and they charged Coleman with bigamy. He pleaded guilty in July 2023 and was sentenced to three years probation.
Two months later, Coleman married another woman in Kentucky.
After learning about the third marriage, the Harris County District Attorney’s Office revoked Coleman's probation.
On March 11, a judge handed down the three-year prison sentence.
Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Goussen said Coleman married women for room and board and whatever money they would give him.
“Run a background check, if possible, or try searching their name on the internet, look at their social media, and ask a lot of questions,” Goussen advised. “Unfortunately, many con artists hide behind important sounding titles, and it is easier than you think to get swept off your feet.”
Goussen said it was important to the victims that Coleman go to prison because he took advantage of them and their churches by pretending to ascend to a position of trust and then abusing that trust.
