Maryland Criminal Laws About Bigamy
Bigamy, according to The Free Dictionary, is "the act of marrying one person while still legally married to another." Bigamy is illegal in all 50 United States. Like several of those states, Maryland has very specific laws related to bigamy, along with a few exceptions to the law. Being convicted of bigamy in Maryland can result in a sentence of up to nine years in prison.
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Prohibition and Punishment
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Maryland Criminal Law § 10-502 clearly states: "While lawfully married to a living person, a person may not enter into a marriage ceremony with another." If a person violates this law, he is guilty of a felony and can be imprisoned for no more than nine years.
Exceptions
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Maryland's bigamy laws do contain a few exceptions. For example, Maryland Criminal Law § 10-502 says if a person's previous spouse has been absent "for a continuous period of seven years," she is allowed to remarry. Also, if a person is preparing to remarry, but she is unsure of whether her previous spouse is still living, the law makes an exception.
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Divorce
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Similar to the rest of the nation, Maryland law requires a person to be legally divorced in a court of law following separation from a spouse in order to successfully remarry. In Maryland, however, a person who does not have legal proof of divorce prior to remarriage could be charged with bigamy.
Annulment of Later Marriages
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Maryland Rule 9-209 states that a conviction of bigamy will annul the later marriage.
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References
Resources
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