A Florida man avoided jail time after being caught scamming three women by marrying them at the same time in an elaborate scheme.
Henry Betsey Jr, 50, was found guilty of bigamy last week after three heartbroken women came forward when they discovered they were all married to the lothario without their knowledge.
Henry married his first wife, Tonya, in Duval County in November 2020. They wed at a courthouse in Jacksonville after meeting on Tinder.
Two years later, Henry married Brandi at the Manatee County Courthouse after meeting on another dating app for single parents called Stir.
That same year, Henry tied the knot for the third time with Michele after meeting on the dating website, Match.com.
Michele confessed to local ABC affiliate, WFTS, that she fell head over heels for the 50-year-old and unwittingly found herself at the Hernando County courthouse just three short weeks after meeting him.
But Henry’s triple life unraveled when Tonya said she began to search for her husband’s name in county court records and found his marriage licenses to two other women.
‘I just started county by county, putting in his name. And that’s when I came up with the marriage to Michele and the marriage to Brandi,’ she recalled to WFTS.
As Henry stood in court to receive his sentence of two-years’ probation and 100 hours’ community service, his new girlfriend, who has not been identified, stood by him from the courthouse audience.
Henry Betsey Jr was sentenced to two years’ probation for being married to three different Florida women at the same time
Michelle Narens said she married Betsey at a courthouse within weeks of meeting him
Micha Everett shared a video on Instagram claiming that she dated Henry in 2019 and sent love to the three women he scammed into marrying him
Henry’s wives admitted that they fell into his trap after he sought out ‘single, recently divorced women.’
Michele admitted that she had ‘no idea’ Henry had two other wives when she received Tonya’s message.
The women recalled Henry portrayed himself as a charming man and never led on that he was in other marriages.
Tonya said that Henry seemed like ‘the perfect person, when in reality he was none of those things.’
When his scheme came to light last year, Henry was arrested for bigamy. This week, Judge Daniel Merritt sentenced him to two years’ probation and 100 hours of community service.
Michele slammed Henry at his hearing, telling the court, ‘I am unfortunately still the wife of the defendant.
‘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.’
Michele told reporters after the sentencing that although she was hoping for jail time, she found solace that Henry was now a convicted felon.
She added that she didn’t believe he felt remorse for the pain he inflicted on his three wives.
The three women he married were single, divorced moms living in different Florida counties. The women decided to remain anonymous as they came forward
Henry’s new girlfriend, who wasn’t identified, supported him at his sentencing
Henry was arrested last year after his first wife found marriage licenses to two other women
The women accused Henry of using them for money, with each wife recalling his desperate attempts to get their cash.
Michele said Henry was seeking ‘the extra perks of marrying a newly single, divorced woman.’
Tonya added that all three women were either newly divorced or about to be divorced when they met Henry.
Brandi recalled that Henry pushed her to add him onto her bank account the day they got married.
The women accused Florida regulations for letting it slip that Henry was married to all three of them at the same time.
‘There are no safeguards, and I feel like that’s part of where the system failed,’ Michele said.
Henry’s new girlfriend was seen by his side at the courthouse. He declined to give his side to reporters
Henry pleaded guilty to the felony charge in May, and a judge revoked his bond after he was arrested in Virginia for assault and battery of a family or household member.
He attended his sentencing hearing with his new girlfriend, who wasn’t identified by his side.
Henry declined to comment when approached by reporters outside the courthouse, but issued an apology during the hearing.
‘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,’ he said.
Michele and Tonya told WFTS that they filed petitions for protection against domestic violence against Henry.
Henry and Tonya’s marriage ended in divorce after his arrest, while his marriages with Brandi and Michele were filed for annulment.
The judge sentenced Henry to two years’ probation and community service. He also isn’t allowed to contact his three ex-wives
A fourth women recently shared her story on social media, claiming that she met Henry in 2019 and they briefly dated
Since his story went viral, another woman has spoken out on social media attesting to Henry’s disturbing patterns.
Micha Everett shared a video on Instagram claiming that she dated Henry in 2019. She said the first few months of their relationship was ‘absolute bliss.’
She said Henry was living on his own at the time in Tallahassee, but he went by the name ‘Dell Betts.’
Micha shared that after two months she could tell that ‘someone else came into the picture.’
She said he started acting inconsistently and in one instance ‘terrified’ her by speeding on the highway.
Betsey began his probation last Thursday. He was also ordered to stay off social media and is not allowed to contact the three women.