A man prosecutors say committed insurance fraud after he left his wife to marry another woman — but never got a divorce from his first wife — is scheduled to be in court today.
Matthew Kelly Wetherford, 39, was charged in 3rd District Court with insurance fraud and two counts of communications fraud, all second-degree felonies, and bigamy, a third-degree felony.
Wetherford married Wanda Kay Angus Andrews in 2002, and she and her children were added to his health insurance coverage, according to court records. In August 2007, Wetherford filled out an application with Johanna Michelle Scott for a marriage license, claiming it was his first marriage, court documents state. The two were married the next day.
The day after their marriage, Wetherford told his employer he had divorced, remarried and needed to add his new wife to his insurance policy, according to court documents. Wetherford and his new wife were expecting a child and started receiving medical services immediately, paid for by his insurance company.
Andrews discovered what was happening when the insurance company stopped paying her bills because they thought she was divorced, according to court documents.
Wetherford was fired from his job after authorities were notified of the deception and his insurance company stopped paying for his new wife's baby bills in October, according to court documents.
He was booked into the Salt Lake County Jail Tuesday on $100,000 bail. The amount was so high because prosecutors say, in court documents, Wetherford has threatened to kill his first wife, threatened her boyfriend with an AK-47 assault rife and threatened to send members of a motorcycle club after her.
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