THE BRONX — The woman accused of marrying 10 men in an 11-year visa scam, hitched up with a suspected terrorist who was deported in 2006 for making threats against the United States, authorities said.
Alleged serial bride Liana Barrientos, 39, pleaded not guilty Friday to charges of fraudulent marriages to 10 strangers between 1999 and 2010 from countries such as Egypt, Pakistan, Georgia, Turkey and Mali.
Rashid Rajput, who she married in July 2002, was deported to Pakistan in 2006 after a Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into threatening statements made toward the United States, according to prosecutors.
Barrientos is likely still married to four people, and at one point, she was married to eight of them at the same time, according to the Bronx District Attorney’s office.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security’s Investigation Division brought the case to the attention of the Bronx DA.
During an interview with police about her marriages on Oct. 23, Barrientos was shown pictures of her husbands but denied knowing them and maintained that she was only married once to Salle Keita, who she wed in The Bronx on March 4, 2010.
"I have never seen those six people in my life," she told a detective, according to his notes.
Most of her husbands filed for Legal Permanent Resident Status almost immediately after they were married, and at least one of them — Vakhtang Dzneladze of Georgia, who she married in May 2002 — was approved and naturalized on Nov. 15, 2006. He divorced Barrientos about three months later.
She admitted only to marrying "Vato," which is how she referred to Dzneladze, according to the prosecution.
She claimed to have married him for money and taken pictures with him for immigration filings, but blamed her drug addiction, prosecutors charge.
"During the time of the marriage I was strung out on drugs including cocaine," she said. "I don't remember marrying any of the men except for Dzenladze and Salle. I was in very bad shape, and I don't remember much from that point in my life."
Barrientos was released on her own recognizance and faces up to four years behind bars if she is convicted. She is due back in court on May 18.
She appeared in court wearing a tan sweater and did not speak during the proceedings apart from her plea of not guilty.
UPDATE: Barrientos was arrested after walking through the emergency gate at the 149th Street and Grand Concourse subway station, according to the NYPD.
She tried to get the free ride at 2:40 p.m. on Friday, shortly after her court appearance, and is being charged with criminal trespassing and intent to obtain transportation without paying, both misdemeanors, police said.
Editor's note: Due to incorrect information from the Bronx District Attorney's Office, yesterday's story stated that none of Barrientos' marriages ended in divorce.
