Marc Dougherty, a 52-year-old businessman, remarried in a Wild West-themed ceremony in Nevada on July 4, 2024, while still legally married to his first wife, Samantha Todd. The wedding took place at Nelson Ghost Town, an abandoned gold mining site in Eldorado Canyon, approximately 45 miles south of Las Vegas.
Dougherty had filed for divorce from Ms. Todd in November 2020, citing adultery. However, Ms. Todd did not accept the grounds for divorce and the proceedings were never formally finalized. This meant that when Dougherty married Pamela Lewis, a florist and old flame, he remained legally bound to Ms. Todd.
The situation came to light when photographs of the Nevada wedding were posted on social media. Ms. Todd's mother, Dougherty's former mother-in-law, saw the images and reported him to the police. Dougherty, who runs a building maintenance firm, had originally married Ms. Todd in Hull, England, in September 2006. They were together for about 12 years and have at least two children.
Three days before his wedding in Nevada, Dougherty signed a document for the State of Nevada falsely declaring he had been divorced since June 2019. His defense counsel suggested his actions stemmed from a combination of naivety, ignorance, and a failure to properly follow through with the divorce process after Ms. Todd did not respond to his initial filing. Dougherty also reportedly experienced issues with alcohol and mental health problems during the time he was separated from Ms. Todd.
Appearing at Liverpool Crown Court, Dougherty pleaded guilty to bigamy. He was sentenced to eight weeks in jail, suspended for 12 months, ordered to complete 100 hours of unpaid work, and pay £1,000 in court costs. Judge Louise Brandon noted that Dougherty was aware he was still married when he wed Ms. Lewis and had deliberately disengaged from the divorce process.
The court heard that Dougherty's actions had not caused a detrimental impact on his first wife, but his offending was aggravated by his false statements to Nevada authorities and UK police. He had initially claimed to have received a decree absolute, but investigations confirmed no such document was ever issued.
Dougherty, who has been diagnosed with cancer, has since accepted that he should not have remarried. He expressed that he is upset by the situation and hopes to move forward with his life. The couple later held a reception in the UK, which was attended by Dougherty's children from his first marriage.