Houston pastor who had at least TEN WIVES and married two women at the same time is sentenced to three years in prison

A Houston man has been sentenced to prison after pretending to be a bishop and using the title to dupe at least 10 different women into marrying him, some at the same time.

Orlando Coleman, 51, visited black churches across the country, introducing himself as a member of the clergy each time. On social media, he presented himself as the founder of several churches as well as a 'Pentecostal preacher.'

But prosecutors say it was all a farce, and contend that Coleman used the title to gain the trust of religious women, at least 10 of whom he married over a 20-year span.

Last week, Coleman was sentenced to three years in prison for marrying a third woman just months after he was put on probation for being married to two women at the same time.

Bigamy is a third-degree felony in Texas and carries a possible sentence of up to 10 years in prison.

Orlando Coleman, 51, was sentenced to three years' imprisonment last week for committing bigamy, a third-degree felony in Texas

The man duped at least 10 women into marrying him over two decades and stayed married to several of them at the same time

Coleman, who is being held at the Harris County Jail, was accused of wedding the women for financial security and moving from state to state in search of new victims

Prosecutors assert Coleman married the women for housing and financial security.

'At the heart of this repeat offender’s schemes was a plan to defraud women and take advantage of them for financial gain,' Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg said in a news release.

'This man used the church to camouflage his scams and hide from any accountability or responsibility.'

Investigators believe Coleman's first marriage was in 2001. In the years that followed, he travelled to states including Delaware, Kentucky, Pennsylvania and North Carolina to meet churchgoing women.

After introducing himself as a Protestant pastor or bishop, Coleman would propose marriage. If a woman accepted, he would move in with her and allow her to foot the cost of his housing and food.

'That’s the only thing he had to offer and to validate his word - the proposal to marry - that was something big,' Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Goussen told The New York Times.

'Getting proposed to was a big gesture for these women, and that corroborated his guise that he’s a godly person.'

Some of the women filed for divorce after Coleman fled to another state.

Coleman visited Black churches across the country, introducing himself as a Protestant pastor or bishop. He would then propose marriage to churchgoing women after gaining their trust

Coleman's con unraveled when he married a Houston woman in 2021. The woman discovered that he was married to a Virginia woman and still receiving payments from her

Coleman left behind several Facebook profiles, each listing him as the founder of a different church. One page deems him 'a Pentecostal Preacher, known for his vast wisdom in matters of church protocol'

His scheme came to a head in 2021, when he married a Houston woman. Five months later, the woman discovered that he was receiving funds from a woman in Virginia.

The Houston woman reached out to her on Facebook and discovered that the pair had been married since 2019. She was even provided a copy of their marriage certificate, court documents state.

The Virginia woman told Coleman’s new wife that she and Coleman had separated in 2021 and never officially divorced.

She explained that their separation came about when he moved to Texas, where, unbeknownst to her, he married the other woman in Houston two weeks later.

The Texas woman contacted police, and following an investigation, the Harris County Sheriff’s Office filed bigamy charges.

Coleman pleaded guilty in July 2023 in exchange for three years' probation.

He penned a letter before his sentencing, claiming he believed he was free to marry the Texas woman because he thought the previous marriage had ended in an annulment or divorce.

'If I knew getting married was not allowed, I would have waited,' he wrote.

Coleman also claimed to have survived sexual abuse as a child. Growing up, he said, he 'didn’t know love on any level.'

He also laid out his future plans to return to Kentucky as a pastor, 'helping to feed & clothe people.'

Coleman signed off with the abbreviations 'PhD, ThD, DD,' signaling that he held Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Theology and Doctor of Divinity degrees. There is no evidence he held any of these.

Shortly after being sentenced to three months' probation, Coleman married a new wife in Kentucky while remaining wed to the Virginia woman

Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg asserted that Coleman used the fraudulent title to manipulate women for financial gain

Just two months after his sentencing - while still married to the Virginia woman - Coleman wed a Kentucky woman.

After learning about the new marriage, prosecutors filed a motion to revoke probation. He was sentenced on March 11.

Coleman unknowingly documented his con on Facebook, where he left behind several profiles.

One lists him as 'married' and 'Presiding Bishop, Senior Pastor at Word Of Faith Intl. Worship Center' based in Delaware.

Another describes him as 'Founder/Establishmentarian at Greater Pentecostal Cathedral Church Of God In Christ' and claims he addended the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science.

Another page advertising 'Bishop Orlando Coleman Ministries Inc.' deems the 51-year-old 'a Pentecostal Preacher, known for his vast wisdom in matters of church protocol.' 

Each page is complete with an insignia for the different churches he allegedly founded.

In the press release, Goussen, who prosecuted Coleman, noted that his victims said he was a 'con man' who married them 'for room and board and whatever money they would give him.'

'Unfortunately, many con artists hide behind important sounding titles, and it is easier than you think to get swept off your feet,' she said.

Goussen encouraged potential victims to run background checks, look for clues on social media and 'ask a lot of questions.' 

Coleman is currently being held at the Harris County Jail.