Avowed Polygamist Green Guilty of Bigamy

P R O V O, Utah, May 19, 2001 -- After testifying on Friday that he never thought he was legally married to any of his five wives, avowed polygamist Tom Green was found guilty of bigamy.

There were gasps and sobs in the courtroom when the jury announced that Green, 52, was convicted on four counts of bigamy and on one count for failing to pay child support. The jury deliberated for approximately three hours before reaching a verdict.

His sentencing is set for June 27, where he could face up to 25 years in prison, and up to $25,000 in fines.

The first major polygamy case this country has seen in nearly five decades, this case could be considered a blueprint for convicting other polygamists.

Although Green attested to being a polygamist, under Utah law, he had to be charged with bigamy. Utah banned plural marriage in its Constitution in order to become a state, however, it has no specific anti-polygamy law on the books.

Encircled by three of his five wives outside of the courthouse, Green said that he plans to appeal the ruling.

"I think [the prosecutor] played a cheap trick," Green said. "He tried to put across the idea that I don't work and these ladies support me."

Considered Himself ‘Single’

To make its case, the state had to show that Green was married to one woman and cohabited with the others. Last year, a judge declared Green was legally married to his first wife, Linda, even though they didn't have a license.

"In the eyes of the government, I consider myself single," Green said during Friday's testimony. "In the eyes of God, I consider myself married."

Green said he never knew he might become legally married to the women he considers his "spiritual" wives.

"I was always careful and cautious to make sure they understood that it was a spiritual union that I had with each of them," he said.

But prosecutors cited Green's experience as a part-time paralegal and said he must have understood the marriage law.

Green said his religious freedom protects his right to marry more than one woman. Most of the estimated 30,000 people practicing polygamy in the West trace their roots to early Mormon doctrine, even though The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints abandoned the practice in 1890.

ABCNEWS David Northfield in Provo contributed to this report.