Florida Man Sentenced for Bigamy After Marrying Three Women in Three Counties

A Florida man who secretly married three women in three different counties without ever divorcing any of them has been sentenced for felony bigamy.

Henry Betsey, Jr., whose case drew national attention earlier this year, appeared in a Hernando County courtroom on Thursday wearing handcuffs and a jail-issued orange uniform. He had previously pleaded guilty to one felony count of bigamy in May.

Betsey’s bond was revoked after he was arrested out of state for assault and battery of a family or household member while attending a wedding in Virginia with his current girlfriend.

A Web of Marriages

Between 2021 and 2023, Betsey met three women—Michele, Brandy, and Tonya Betsey—on dating websites. He quickly married each of them at separate courthouses across different Florida counties without obtaining divorces or annulments.

“He said all the right things,” Brandy recalled.
“He sold the perfect person, when in reality, he was none of those things,” Tonya added.

It was Tonya who eventually uncovered the deception, discovering her husband’s other marriages by checking county marriage records one by one.

“That’s when I came up with the marriage to Michele and the marriage to Brandy,” she said.
“She messaged me, and I had no idea she was still married to him,” Michele added.

System Gaps and Victim Statements

The women blame Florida’s lack of a centralized marriage license database, which allowed Betsey’s deception to go unnoticed across jurisdictions.

“There are no safeguards,” Michele said. “That’s part of where the system failed.”
“If the counties did talk, it would’ve saved me a lot of heartache,” Tonya said.

At Thursday’s sentencing hearing, Michele addressed the court.

“What he did was not a mistake. It was a deliberate choice, and choices have consequences,” she told the judge.

Betsey also spoke, offering an apology to the women, the court, and his family—though Michele later said she believed it was only offered under legal advice.

Sentencing: A Felony Conviction, No Jail Time

Judge Charles B. Merritt, Jr. noted that Florida law limited his sentencing options since Betsey had no prior criminal history, and the Virginia charges were still pending.

“I’m going to adjudicate him guilty of the bigamy offense, which makes him a convicted felon,” the judge said. Betsey was sentenced to two years’ probation with eight days’ credit for time served.

The judge also ordered:

A mental health evaluation
Completion of a certified battery intervention program
No contact with his three former wives
A ban on dating websites and social media use

Deputies collected Betsey’s fingerprints and DNA as part of felony processing.

Aftermath and Push for Reform

Though disappointed there was no jail time, the women felt some justice was served.

“The fact that he is a convicted felon… that speaks mountains,” Michele said.
“I can’t say I was completely satisfied with the outcome,” Tonya added, “but I respect the court’s decision.”

Michele is now advocating for statewide marriage license reform, urging legislators to create a cross-county system to prevent future cases like theirs.