A Florida man who secretly married three women in three different counties, without any of them knowing about each other, has avoided jail time.
Henry Betsey Jr., 50, was sentenced last week to two years' probation and 100 hours of community service after his elaborate marital scam was exposed by his first wife, Tonya.
The shocking case has left three women heartbroken and prompted calls for tighter marriage regulations in Florida.
Betsey first tied the knot with Tonya in November 2020 at a Jacksonville courthouse after the pair met on Tinder. Two years later, he married Brandi in Manatee County after connecting with her on the dating app Stir. That same year, he married Michele in Hernando County just three weeks after meeting her on Match.com.
“I just started county by county, putting in his name,” Tonya told local ABC affiliate WFTS. “And that's when I came up with the marriage to Michele and the marriage to Brandi.”
Each of the women said they were targeted while newly divorced or in the middle of separation proceedings.
Brandi recalled that Henry urged her to add him to her bank account on their wedding day, while Michele accused him of chasing “the extra perks of marrying a newly single, divorced woman".
In court, Michele condemned Betsey's deception. “I am unfortunately still the wife of the defendant,” she said. “I am not here today just as a woman betrayed by someone I once trusted, but I am also speaking on behalf of the other women involved.”
She later told reporters she had hoped for jail time but found solace in Betsey being found guilty of bigamy.
Despite the trio’s betrayal, Betsey arrived at sentencing with a new, unidentified girlfriend who stood by him during the hearing.
He declined to speak to reporters but addressed the court: “First and foremost, I want to apologize to the ladies, and I want to apologize to the court administration and to my family and friends that had to be involved in this. Because ultimately this is something that I didn’t wish to be part of.”
Leaked court records show Betsey pleaded guilty to the felony charge in May, and his bond was revoked following an arrest in Virginia for assault and battery of a family or household member. He was ordered to stay off social media and have no contact with the three women.
Michele and Tonya have since filed petitions for protection against domestic violence. Tonya’s marriage to Betsey ended in divorce, and both Brandi and Michele filed for annulments.
Tonya reflected on the experience: “He seemed like the perfect person, when in reality he was none of those things.”
Since the case made headlines, another woman has come forward. Micha Everett posted on Instagram claiming she dated the serial cheater, who went by “Dell Betts” at the time, in 2019.
“The first few months were absolute bliss,” she said, but later noted his behavior became erratic. In one instance, he "terrified" her by speeding on the highway.
The women say Florida's marriage system enabled the deceit. “There are no safeguards, and I feel like that's part of where the system failed,” Michele said.
Betsey began probation last Thursday.