ARLINGTON — An Arlington man allegedly married his girlfriend without divorcing his first wife because he didn’t think a marriage in Mexico was lawful in the U.S.
Robert Karney, 59, married his second wife on April 8, but when his first wife saw their marriage on social media, she called the police.
Karney was charged with a felony — bigamy.
Karney’s first wife has been attempting to divorce him for several years, according to court documents.
She said she had difficulty contacting him, and when she was able to connect with him, he would not sign the divorce papers.
The couple got married in August 2008 at a resort in Mexico and they’ve been separated since 2015.
Karney is in the process of getting his second marriage annulled and completing the divorce paperwork for his first marriage.
He was under the impression that his first marriage “in Mexico was not valid in the United States.”
Karney was arraigned in Bennington Superior Court on Monday. He pleaded not guilty.