A 50-year-old Florida man managed to avoid prison after being convicted of bigamy for simultaneously marrying three unsuspecting women in a calculated deception. Henry Betsey Jr. was sentenced to two years of probation and 100 hours of community service after his scheme was exposed.
The elaborate fraud unraveled when one of his wives, Tonya, became suspicious and investigated public court records. She discovered that Betsey had legally married two other women—Brandi and Michele—while still being married to her. Each woman had no knowledge of the others’ existence.
Tonya married Henry in Duval County in November 2020 after connecting with him through Tinder. Two years later, he wed Brandi in Manatee County, having met her on the dating app Stir. Not long after, he married Michele in Hernando County just three weeks after they met on Match.com.
Michele told ABC affiliate WFTS that she quickly fell for Betsey, unaware that he was already married twice. Her world turned upside down when Tonya contacted her with the truth.
“I just searched county by county, putting his name in,” Tonya explained, describing how she uncovered the other marriages.
All three women said Betsey preyed on recently divorced or vulnerable women. Michele admitted she was blindsided, believing she was the only one in a relationship with him. Brandi recalled Henry asking to be added to her bank account on the same day they got married, raising suspicions in hindsight.
Betsey appeared in court accompanied by a new girlfriend, who has not been identified. He declined to speak to reporters but offered an apology in court.
“I want to apologize to the ladies, the court, my family, and friends. This isn’t something I ever intended to be a part of,” he said during sentencing.
Michele, who remains legally married to him pending annulment, gave a powerful statement at the hearing. “I’m here not just as someone who was deceived but on behalf of the other women affected,” she told the court. She later said she was disappointed he wasn’t jailed but felt some comfort knowing he now carries a felony conviction.
Both Michele and Tonya filed for protective orders against Betsey, citing emotional and financial exploitation. The women accused him of manipulating them for money and exploiting a legal loophole in Florida’s marriage records system, which allowed him to remarry without triggering alerts.
“There are no safeguards in place,” Michele said. “The system let us down.”
Betsey’s legal troubles extended beyond bigamy. In May, he pleaded guilty to the felony charge and had his bond revoked after being arrested in Virginia for an unrelated domestic assault case.
His marriage to Tonya officially ended in divorce after his arrest, while Brandi and Michele pursued annulments. In the wake of the case, a fourth woman, Micha Everett, shared her experience dating Betsey—under a different name, “Dell Betts”—in 2019. She described him as initially charming before his behavior became erratic and frightening.
Betsey’s probation began last Thursday. As part of his sentence, he’s banned from contacting the three women and prohibited from using social media.
