Woman accused of marrying nearly 14 men just to receive money from them, then disappearing, authorities say

LAS VEGAS (KVVU/Gray News) - A woman from China is accused of marrying 14 men to receive money from them in Las Vegas, according to authorities.

Police say Jiaying Chen was taken into custody at a southwest valley restaurant on Thursday, June 4, after investigators learned she was allegedly planning to meet a man there to discuss possibly getting married.

According to an arrest report, investigators found what appeared to be a counterfeit U.S. passport and a Nevada driver’s license in the name “Vicky Liang,” both bearing Chen’s photo.

A records check with the Nevada DMV showed no record for the listed driver’s license number or the name/date-of-birth combination.

Authorities later found eight marriage license applications in the Clark County system, including seven marriage certificates issued in that name.

The most recent license application in the database was submitted on April 23, 2025, and a marriage certificate was filed on May 5, 2025. The man involved told detectives he gave Chen an unknown amount of money, but then he found out she married multiple other people.

He filed an annulment with Clark County Family Court on July 22, 2025, which was entered Aug. 29, 2025.

Detectives also spoke with the man named on a marriage license certificate issued to Chen on April 23, 2026, who said he had known her for six months before they got married. He claimed to have given her $20,000 to help her half-sister, and confirmed that they are still married.

Police also investigated marriage license applications filed on April 27, May 4, May 10 and June 1, but have been unable to confirm whether any paperwork was filed to annul or dissolve the marriages.

One more man was interviewed in relation to a marriage license application filed on May 21. He told detectives he gave Chen $30,000 and said he will remain married to her.

According to detectives, Chen is currently married to six individuals, with the majority of the marriages occurring within the last three months.

From March 2019 to May 2026, Chen submitted 15 marriage applications to the Clark County Marriage License Bureau, resulting in eight marriage certificates being issued, according to county records.

Chen told authorities that she didn’t always marry the men listed on the marriage applications because “not everyone pays,” according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

The Review-Journal, citing arrest records, reported that Chen told police she “could make as much as $20,000 from one marriage.” She added that she only gets married in Las Vegas because it’s easy to do there, according to the outlet.

Chen allegedly met the men she’d eventually marry on social media, according to police. It is not clear why the men agreed to enter into the marriages.

Chen is facing five felony counts of bigamy and two counts of intent to utter a fictitious bill, note or check. She previously faced charges of forgery and theft between $25,000 and $100,000, but those have since been dropped.

She is scheduled to be sentenced on August 20.