Houston ‘Bishop’ Sentenced 3 Years For Marrying 10 Women, Two Months After Getting Probation For Bigamy

A traveling self-proclaimed "bishop" has been sentenced to three years in prison for bigamy just two months after receiving probation for the same offense.

A self-proclaimed traveling “bishop” has been sentenced to three years in prison for bigamy just two months after receiving probation for the same offense.

Orlando Coleman, 51, received jail time two months after marrying a third woman despite being placed on probation for marrying two other women at the same time, Click 2 Houston reports. Coleman is accused of being a “con man” who presented himself as a bishop who traveled to churches around the country. He’s suspected of having married at least 10 women in different states for his own financial gain.

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg issued the sentencing at a March 11 hearing.

“At the heart of this repeat offender’s schemes was a plan to defraud women and take advantage of them for financial gain,” Ogg said. “This man used the church to camouflage his scams and hide from any accountability or responsibility.”

Since 2019, Coleman reportedly entered into three marriages with three different women. In 2021, he married a woman in Houston. Five months into the marriage, the woman learned that Coleman was receiving money from a woman in Virginia.

Upon speaking to the Virginia woman, she learned she had been married to Coleman since 2019. After the Houston woman contacted authorities, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office investigated and filed bigamy charges against the traveling bishop.

The sentencing comes nearly one year after Coleman pleaded guilty to bigamy in July 2023. He received three years of deferred adjudication probation in exchange for the guilty plea but managed to get himself in trouble for the same offense. Coleman’s probation was revoked and he was sentenced to three years in prison.

Coleman is described by his victims as a “con man” who married them for room, board, and money, Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Goussen said. She offered advice to women who want to avoid being victims of such crimes.

“Run a background check, if possible, or try searching their name on the internet, look at their social media, and ask a lot of questions,” Goussen said. “Unfortunately, many con artists hide behind important sounding titles, and it is easier than you think to get swept off your feet.”