"The Runaway Bride" sting: Married 14 husbands – and gambled the money in Vegas casinos

Jia-Ying Chan, a Chinese-born permanent US resident, was convicted of bigamy and fraud after marrying 14 men using a false identity, extracting over $100,000 from them under the pretense of helping sick relatives – and gambling the money in Las Vegas casinos. She was sentenced to probation, restitution, and addiction treatment.

A Las Vegas court this week convicted Jia-Ying Chan, 34, of bigamy, fraud, and obtaining money under false pretenses. Chan married no fewer than 14 husbands, including five in a single month, to fund her gambling addiction at city casinos. She was convicted under a plea deal and sentenced to probation, during which she must attend Gamblers Anonymous meetings, undergo addiction treatment, and pay $280,000 in restitution. She will also be under electronic monitoring. According to the prosecution, over seven years Chan used a fake ID under the name "Vicky Liang" and convinced her husbands to transfer her a total of more than $100,000, claiming she needed the money for sick relatives in China. She met the men on social networks, and some said they were persuaded to marry after just a few months of acquaintance. The money was gambled at the Wynn casino on the Las Vegas Strip, where she lost over $300,000 in the past year. One victim, Raymond Tam, testified that her actions harmed his family, left him unable to pay his factory workers, and plunged him into debt. "Mentally, every day I am in distress and unable to sleep," he said in court. Chan was arrested in 2024, released on bail and disappeared, and was rearrested in June this year with fake passports and a driver's license.