A Las Vegas woman, Jiaying Chen, 33, is accused of marrying at least 14 men since March 2019 as part of an elaborate scheme to fund a gambling addiction. Prosecutors allege Chen obtained marriage certificates in Clark County using a fake identification under the name 'Vicky Liang' for over seven years. She is accused of convincing her husbands to send her more than $100,000 collectively by claiming the money was needed for sick relatives in China.
Instead of aiding family, Chen allegedly spent the funds gambling at the luxury Wynn casino on the Las Vegas Strip. Police reports indicate she lost over $300,000 at the casino in the past year alone. According to the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Chen appeared in court for a preliminary hearing and plans to plead guilty to one count each of bigamy and obtaining money under false pretenses.
Chen was initially arrested in 2024 but was released on bond. Law enforcement apprehended her on June 4 during a joint sting operation by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security. The operation was initiated after police received a tip that Chen was planning to meet a man at a restaurant to discuss marriage.
Investigators tracked Chen using surveillance footage and arrested her at the restaurant before she could ensnare another victim. Several of Chen's current and former spouses told police that she would convince them to marry her after only a few months of knowing them. She would then request large sums of money, often citing fabricated family emergencies in China, and cease contact after receiving the funds.
One man reported that Chen asked him for $40,000 for a sick relative, while another said he gave her $23,000 before she told him she no longer wished to be married. A third man stated he married Chen six months after meeting her and provided $20,000 for her half-sister, and they remain married. Chen also allegedly defrauded a woman out of $40,000 by writing bad checks from a former husband's bank account.
During her 2024 arrest, Chen reportedly told detectives that she did not marry all the men for whom she obtained certificates because "not everyone pays." She also stated that she could make up to $20,000 from one marriage and chose Las Vegas for her activities because "it is so easy to get married" there.
Chief Deputy District Attorney Austin Beaumont stated that Chen has agreed to plead guilty to the felony charges of bigamy and obtaining money under false pretenses exceeding $100,000. Beaumont expressed hope that this plea would allow victims to provide restitution reports to the court and ideally recover their losses from the defendant.