Texas AG may pursue bigamy prosecutions
Utah officials meet to discuss polygamy issues
"They were on the same page, that we'd go after the most serious crimes," Paul Murphy, the Utah Attorney General's Safety Net coordinator who works with polygamous communities, said of last week's meeting.
"We are prosecuting people for child abuse, domestic violence and fraud. I haven't heard them chomping at the bit that they want to prosecute people for polygamy," he told the Deseret News Thursday.
Prosecuting polygamy itself is a complex proposition, even though Utah has secured a pair of convictions for bigamy (as an enhancement to cases involving child brides).
Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott is hinting at the possibility of bigamy prosecutions here. In national TV interviews, Abbott said some women from the FLDS Church's Eldorado ranch, who have spoken to news reporters, appeared to have admitted to bigamy.
"Questions were made to those women, and I think those women need to be asked some other questions," Abbott told the Fox News Channel. "The women were asked on national TV if they were married to men who were also married to other women, and they answered yes. That's a violation of Texas bigamy laws."
When contacted by the Deseret News on Thursday, the Texas Attorney General's Office would not say if it was actively pursuing a bigamy prosecution.
"Our office has been in frequent communication with law enforcement and prosecutors handling this case," said Abbott spokesman Jerry Strickland. "However, at this time we wouldn't disclose the nature of those conversations nor discuss any ongoing criminal investigations."
Texas law precludes the Attorney General's Office from getting involved in most local criminal prosecutions without a request from local prosecutors, Strickland said. The attorney general has offered his office's assistance to the Tom Green County District Attorney's Office, which is handling the huge FLDS child custody case.
"However, we are not involved in the prosecution of any offense at this point," Strickland said.
Abbott defended the decision to remove the 416 children from the YFZ Ranch, saying the children were in immediate risk, given the allegations that young women were at risk of being sexually assaulted by older men.
An attorney who has represented the FLDS Church was critical of Abbott's comments.
Recent comments
I personally don't care what these adults do with themselves,...
Anonymous | June 11, 2008 at 7:37 p.m.
Two consenting adults can do as they choose as far as I am concerned...
jennifer | May 9, 2008 at 9:49 p.m.
Sidney is correct. The Fourteenth Amendment certifies to all citizens...
Socrates | April 29, 2008 at 9:19 a.m.
