In a startling fraud case, Houston resident Orlando Coleman, 51, was sentenced to prison for arranging marriages with at least 10 women under false pretenses and posing as a bishop.
Coleman’s elaborate scheme included presenting himself as a member of the clergy, visiting black churches across the country, and maintaining an online persona as a church planter and “Pentecostal preacher.”
However, prosecutors revealed that Coleman’s intentions were far from genuine. Over two decades, he manipulated religious women into marriage for personal gain and exploited their trust and faith for financial gain.
Last week, Coleman was sentenced to three years in prison after marrying a third woman while on probation for bigamy involving two simultaneous marriages. Bigamy is considered a felony in Texas, with a potential sentence of up to 10 years.
Harris County District Attorney Kim Ogg condemned Coleman’s actions, saying, “At the core of this repeat offender was a scheme to defraud women and use them for financial gain.
Investigators uncovered Coleman’s trail of fraud, tracing his first marriage back to 2001. He targeted churchgoing women in various states, masquerading as a Protestant pastor or bishop to gain their trust.
Coleman’s strategy usually involved proposing marriages, moving in with women, and exploiting them for housing and financial support. Assistant District Attorney Vanessa Goussen explained: “To reach out was a big gesture for these women and it confirmed his mask of being a godly man.
The extent of Coleman’s fraud came to light when a Houston woman, unaware of his previous marriages, discovered he was receiving funds from a woman in Virginia. Upon further investigation, it was revealed that Coleman had married a woman from Virginia in 2019 and married a woman from Houston shortly thereafter.
