Gambling Addict “Runaway Bride” Sentenced in Las Vegas for Scamming Several Men

In a case where Las Vegas prosecutors described her as the perfect “runaway bride,” Jiaying Chen, 33, pleaded guilty to charges of bigamy and obtaining money by false pretenses after marrying several men, only to later run off with some of their money. What Was Chen’s Scheme? Investigators said Chen married five men in the past year alone before disappearing with tens of thousands of dollars. During her sentencing on Tuesday, prosecutors said nine victims were seeking restitution ranging from $8,142 to $80,920. Law&Crime reported that Chen applied for 14 marriage licenses in Clark County, Nevada, between 2019 and 2024, resulting in the issuance of seven marriage certificates. Chen’s attorney attributed her theft to a gambling addiction, adding that she was determined to repay all of her victims. Her defense team said it accepted the plea agreement, which stipulated an eight-to-20-year suspended sentence, but requested that she be spared any additional jail time so she could start earning money to repay her victims. Prosecutors said they sought probation for Chen because, despite her legal residency in the US, a prison sentence could lead to her deportation amid the current political climate. They argued that keeping her in the country under probation would give the victims and the state the best chance of recovering the restitution owed to them. What Is Her Sentence? Judge Crystal Eller expressed concern that Chen could repeat the offenses under a different identity in another state if her gambling addiction remained untreated. Chen will be subject to monitoring during her probation after prosecutors informed Judge Eller that she plans to move out of state and relocate to Florida with her new partner. She said the risk of Chen reoffending was extremely high. Eller ordered Chen to serve an additional eight months at the Clark County Detention Center in Las Vegas. This brings her total time in custody to one year, including the four months she had already served since her arrest. Upon release, Chen will be placed on probation for two years and permitted to move to Florida, where she has secured a waitressing job at a friend’s sushi restaurant. As part of her probation, she must attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings, undergo addiction counseling, and repay her victims a total of $280,062.86. In other news of an unusual variety from Las Vegas, the Zak Bagans, the host of Travel Channel show Ghost Adventures, recently bought a multimillion-dollar Cold War bunker, which is allegedly haunted, and aims to turn it into a museum of the paranormal.