Chinese Woman Gambling Addiction Fuelled 14-Husband Wedding Fraud Scam in Las Vegas

A 33-year-old Chinese woman has agreed to plead guilty to bigamy after investigators said she married at least 14 men in Las Vegas as part of a fraud scheme. Jiaying Chen, who also used the alias Vicky Liang, was still legally married to six men when she was arrested on 4 June 2026, according to reporting on the case.

Court and police records show Chen filed repeated marriage applications in Clark County over several years. Investigators said she met men through WeChat, married them quickly and then asked for money by claiming relatives in China were ill before cutting off contact.

Gambling Losses and Wedding Fraud

Chen submitted 14 marriage applications to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau between March 2019 and May 2024, according to police arrest reports cited in later coverage. Those reports said she lost more than $300,000 (£223,000) at the Wynn casino in the year before her arrest, and that the money appeared to go towards gambling.

Police said Chen would quickly suggest marriage, then tell different stories involving sick family members in China to ask for money before cutting off contact. They also said she told investigators she could make as much as $20,000 from one marriage and that Las Vegas made the scheme easy.

Six Marriages Still Active

Detectives say Chen was still legally married to six men when she was taken into custody, with five of those marriages happening within three months. Clark County marriage officials flagged the case in 2024 after spotting repeated applications under both her own name and the alias Vicky Liang.

Chen was arrested at a restaurant in the Southwest Valley while meeting another man about marriage. Police and Homeland Security agents later said she had a fake US passport and Nevada driver's licence bearing her photo but with details that appeared fraudulent.

Court Case and Plea Deal

Chen was first charged in August 2024 with bigamy and theft of more than $100,000 (£74,391), but she failed to appear in court and an arrest warrant was issued. When she was eventually arrested on 4 June 2026, prosecutors added further charges.

Court records from the Las Vegas Justice Court show a Clark County prosecutor said Chen has agreed to plead guilty to one count each of bigamy and obtaining money under false pretences. The plea deal would allow victims to submit restitution reports.

Licensing System Under Scrutiny

The case has drawn questions about how Clark County failed to identify Chen's overlapping marriage applications for so long. Records show she obtained seven marriage certificates under her real name before submitting further applications under the alias Vicky Liang after she fled in 2024.

Chen remains in custody with bail set at $100,000 (£74,391), according to later reporting on the case. The investigation remains ongoing, with authorities saying there may be additional victims.

Gambling Context

Victims' payments to Chen ranged from $20,000 to $40,000 per person, according to police, with one man in a 2024 case saying he gave her $40,000 to help a supposedly ill relative. Police said none of the money reached any relatives in China and that Chen used the funds for gambling instead.

Chen told investigators she lost more than $300,000 (£223,000) at the Wynn casino in the year before her arrest. In cases where she filed a marriage application but did not go through with the wedding, she told police this was because 'not everyone pays'.