Three Weddings and Criminal Charges

A man from North Carolina has been arrested after authorities found out he was married to at least three different women.

Harry Irvine Burdick Jr., a 60-year-old resident of Davidson County, was taken into custody on August 22. He faces charges related to two felonies after investigators uncovered three marriage licenses issued in his name. The sheriff’s office noted that all these marriages appeared to be driven by “financial and personal interests.”

According to officials, the three marriages were recorded in Guilford, Lincoln, and Davidson counties. They found no records suggesting that Burdick had ever divorced any of the women involved.

It’s not entirely clear whether his wives are aware of each other.

After his arrest, Burdick was released on September 22 after promising in writing that he would appear in court on that date.

The sheriff’s office indicated there might be more women involved, as they await contact from additional victims.

Officials are urging anyone who could be legally married to Burdick or who knows his wives to get in touch with them.

Being married to multiple people at the same time, known as bigamy, is illegal in all states.

This practice was first banned in U.S. federal territory under the Edmund Tucker Act of 1887, which aimed to curb practices associated with the Latter-day Saints Church.

Notably, American polygamous families, particularly from the LDS community, include the Brown family from TLC’s “Sister Wives” and the Darger family, featured in various programs examining polygamous lifestyles.

In a similar case from early August, a Florida man facing comparable bigamy charges received a two-year probation sentence. His wife claimed that none of the other women knew about each other and that they were all led to believe he had done everything right to marry them.