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CNN Live Saturday

Man Convicted of Polygamy in Utah

Aired May 19, 2001 - 15:06   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
DONNA KELLEY, CNN ANCHOR: A Utah man with five wives and 25 children has been convicted of bigamy. It's the country's first major polygamy case in nearly five decades. Both sides of this case agree that the decision could have a major impact on the future of polygamy cases.

CNN's John Martin has more.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

JOHN MARTIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The jury deliberated for about three hours before finding Tom Green guilty on four counts of bigamy for being married to five women. The father of 29 was also convicted of one count of criminal failure to pay child support. The 52-year-old says he never considered himself legally married to the women, a statement prosecutors believe is inaccurate.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Tom Green knew that he was married, that he knew about the common law statute, and that his definition of marriage is the same as the governments definition of marriage.

MARTIN: Utah banned plural marriage in its constitution in order to become a state, but there's no specific anti-polygamy laws. Prosecutors combined the state's bigamy law and its definition of common law marriage to win the case. Green vows to keep fighting.

TOM GREEN, CONVICTED POLYGAMIST: I would hope that most prosecutors in this state are not somebody who are so gung ho for some kind of a political exposure that they would capitalize on this, that they would go look for some vulnerable polygamist, some vocal polygamist, and make hay out of it.

You notice Mr. Leavitt (ph) didn't go after the dozens of polygamists in his county that he knows about that are part of an organized group with the resources, the funds, the backing to fight him, to put up a real defense.

MARTIN: Green married wives as young as 14. The entire family lives in the Utah desert.

LINDA GREEN, WIFE: We're just going to have to work really hard and stick together and make it work. Our family didn't need this.

MARTIN: Green is free on bond until his June 27 sentencing. He faces 25 years in prison and $25,000 in fines.

I'm John Martin, CNN.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

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