Amid Arrest Rumors, Could Kody Brown Actually Be Prosecuted For His Sister Wives?

In a video from one of Kody Brown’s now-grown kids, it was revealed that the family’s time in Utah was fraught with stressors. Though Utah has long been known as a hotspot for those of Mormon faith, including polygamists, the law at the time did not permit the Brown family’s lifestyle.

Gwendlyn Brown, Christine’s daughter and self-proclaimed “SisterWives child #11,” talked about her family’s multiple moves during a YouTube Q&A. Admitting that she didn’t understand the motivation for moving from Utah herself, Gwen did explain that her dad was apparently threatened with prison time while the family lived in Utah.

The Browns left Utah in 2011, ostensibly to avoid possible prosecution by the local government. But it wasn’t until Gwen’s interview that viewers learned just how close Kody came to spending time behind bars.

Gwen explained, “Because police were actually coming to our door when I was a kid and being like, ‘You have to leave. We’re gonna take your dad to prison’.” Notably, none of Kody’s kids seem keen to follow in his footsteps lifestyle-wise.

That would have been, according to the family’s timeline of moves, right around Sister Wives‘ debut on TLC. The notoriety the show generated for the Browns likely drew more attention to them than would have otherwise happened.

The Browns Moved To Nevada To Escape Utah Law

It makes sense that avoiding prison time was on Kody Brown’s to-do list, but Gwen questioned the family’s choice to move to Las Vegas, of all places. She noted that Mormons in Las Vegas were “scary” to her and that she felt she wasn’t Mormon “enough” there.

The state of Nevada is also rather unfriendly to polygamy; the state criminalizes “bigamy,” which is being married to more than one person.

It’s worth noting that although Kody Brown and his multiple wives called themselves married, he was apparently only legally married to Meri and then later to Robyn, after securing a legal divorce from Meri; the other marriages were “spiritual” ones.

Ultimately, the family moved again to Flagstaff, Arizona, a decision that fans felt was one of the worst Kody ever made. It’s understood that the move allowed Robyn to be closer to her older son while he went to college, further solidifying the belief that Robyn was Kody’s favorite wife since the whole family relocated for seemingly one child (out of a total of 18).

Arizona is also not known for its friendliness to Mormon polygamists; its state law dictates that “Polygamous or plural marriages, or polygamous co-habitation, are forever prohibited within this state.”

That didn’t stop the family, however.

Could Kody Brown Go To Jail For Polygamy?

Though the Brown family has talked about their concerns regarding the law as it relates to their polygamist lifestyle, it doesn’t seem there has ever been any legal action against Kody or his wives. It’s possible that Gwen’s story of the police coming to the family’s home is true, but it doesn’t sound as if law enforcement had any warrants. Rather, it sounds like they saw the family’s TLC show and only then knew that the family was practicing polygamy.

In terms of legal prosecution, it seems unlikely that Kody Brown would be pursued for bigamy or any other marriage-related charge currently. That’s purely because he is no longer “married” to any wife other than Robyn, whether legally, spiritually, or otherwise.

Robyn and Kody had a legal marriage in 2014 and have been together since. Kody’s other wives have, one by one, left him. Plus, because Kody didn’t attempt to legally marry any of his wives at the same time, Nevada’s bigamy law likely wouldn’t apply.

The Arizona state law, which stipulates that “polygamous co-habitation” is illegal, also wouldn’t necessarily apply. Though the Browns shared one big home when they lived in Utah (it was split into three units by another polygamist who built the home for his family), they don’t appear to have cohabitated since then.

Instead, each of Brown’s wives had her own house, and while they sometimes lived on the same street, it’s unlikely that any prosecution for polygamy would stand up in court.

That didn’t keep people from judging the Brown family heavily, especially after their TV show became popular. Fortunately for them, it seems there probably wouldn’t be any legal case against Kody Brown.