Bigamist pilot gets greenlight to fly ahead of sentence

(CNS): William Gonzales Bodden, a Caymanian pilot, who pleaded guilty to bigamy was given permission to travel outside this jurisdiction after the court agreed to a variation in his bail conditions last week. The crown objected given the pilot is based in Florida where he married a colleague earlier this year despite still being married to his Caymanian wife who he wed in 2012 and with whom he has a daughter. But Bodden has placed a $250,000 bond with the court ahead of his sentencing in January.

Bodden who flies for Breeze Airways was allowed to return to the US in order to keep his job and resume international travel after his defense attorney argued that he would lose it if he did not return and would have no means of supporting either of his families as his ‘unlawful’ wife also has two children with him. Despite prosecutors arguing that he is a clear flight risk his own lawyer pointed out that those convicted of bigamy are rarely sent to jail.

Despite admitting the charge prosecutors have accused Bodden of “watering down” his admissions in the plea agreement with the crown and that there is further criminality to be presented at the sentencing hearing.

But In another twist the court heard how before he married the second woman the pair were living in Dubai as at that time Bodden was working for flydubaih. It was while they were in the middle east that this woman became pregnant. Given the laws in that country and the need for a woman to be married in such circumstances in the first instance he organized for her to marry his cousin. After that they moved to Florida and the woman who had a second child with him divorced Bodden’s cousin and married him earlier this year.

However, he had not divorced his Caymanian wife. Despite claiming to be separated from his wife of twelve years she was in fact making arrangements to move to Florida with their daughter. But during the process of making the immigration arrangements she inadvertently, learned of her husband’s new wife and two children and as a result informed the Cayman authorities after which Bodden was arrested and charged.