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Criminal charges

bigamy

Bigamy is the act of marrying one person while being legally married to another. Polygamy is the practice or custom (often religious) of having more than one wife or husband at a time. Most states prohibit a party from having more than one marriage license at a time, and in most states bigamy is a crime.

In Maryland, both bigamy and polygamy are prohibited by law. Bigamy, which is the act of entering into a marriage with one person while still legally married to another, is considered a criminal offense under Maryland law. Specifically, according to Maryland Criminal Law Code Ann. § 10-502, a person is guilty of a felony if they knowingly enter into a marriage with another person when they have a living spouse, or if they contract a marriage in the state when they have another living spouse elsewhere. The penalty for this felony can include imprisonment. Polygamy, the practice of having more than one spouse at the same time, is not explicitly defined in Maryland statutes, but it is inherently addressed by the laws against bigamy, as it involves entering into multiple marriages. As such, polygamous marriages would not be legally recognized in Maryland, and individuals who attempt to enter into such arrangements could be subject to legal penalties under the bigamy statutes.

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Criminal charges

bigamy

Individual & Family Legal Plan

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Maryland State Code

Criminal charges

bigamy

Maryland State Code

Articles