'Bonnie and Clyde of the marrying kind'
Town Clerk's husband also charged in Brookhaven wedding scheme
6 comments below
All that was lacking was a couple of neon signs and a fake Elvis in a jumpsuit.
That was the way a Suffolk prosecutor described a wedding scheme operated by Brookhaven Town Clerk Pamela Betheil and her husband, Irwin, who allegedly scheduled ceremonies for her and acted in concert to defraud newlyweds, following the couple's arraignment in Riverhead Court Wednesday morning.
The husband and wife were charged collectively in a seven-count indictment that included charges that Ms. Betheil overcharged couples for officiating at their wedding ceremonies while Mr. Betheil acted as her booking agent, according to Assistant District Attorney Mark Murray of the Governmental Corruption Unit. Ms. Betheil and her husband, Mr. Murray said, defrauded 1,100 couples -- that's an average of at least one per day -- out of thousands of dollars in additional marriage fees during her first three years in office.
"That's an ungodly amount of ceremonies," Mr. Murray said outside the courtroom.
As part of the alleged marriage scheme, Mr. Murray said the Betheils charged $200 for marriage ceremonies performed outside Brookhaven Town Hall, when both state and local law limits the amount to $75. Mr. Betheil, who is retired from the computer technology field, also used public resources in his wife's office such as fax machines, office supplies and the services of town clerical staff while he scheduled the ceremonies, Mr. Murray said. In another part of the scheme, Ms. Betheil conducted weddings, one followed by another, after business hours at Town Hall, Mr. Murray said. However, she only charged $75 for the those ceremonies, Mr. Murray said.
"[Couples] would be stacked up like cordwood," Mr. Murray said.
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Ms. Betheil, 63, and Mr. Betheil, 67, were charged with two counts each of first-degree scheming to defraud and official misconduct. In addition, Ms. Betheil also faces separate felony charges of second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument, first-degree offering to file a false instrument and receiving a reward for official misconduct. Both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
Mr. Betheil had been appointed by his wife as a volunteer deputy town clerk in 2006, shortly after she took office. Later that year, the town's ethics board ruled that the appointment constituted a conflict of interest. Mr. Betheil quickly resigned.
Ms. Betheil offered the following statement to The Sun on the day she learned of the ethics board ruling: "It's a sad day when someone of talent and experience cannot volunteer his time at no cost to the taxpayer. But we have raised the bar on ethics in the town and as an individual who always conducted myself by the rules, I will abide by the rules of the ethics board."
Neither spoke to reporters after leaving the courtroom Wednesday. Mr. Betheil shielded his face with his umbrella as the couple entered a nearby elevator on their way out of the courthouse.
Hauppauge attorney James O'Rourke, who represents the Betheils, said they have been married over 30 years and have two children together. He scoffed at the charges, adding, "He is charged with acting in concert, the Bonnie and Clyde of the marrying kind, has been indicted."
Mr. O'Rourke denied any wrongdoing on the part of the Betheils, citing the fact that the information was offered voluntarily and that anywhere between $12,000 and $14,000 has been returned. Mr. O'Rourke called the charges selective enforcement and pointed out that the scenario will provide the premise for their defense. Other marriage officers including judges in the county have employed similar practices but they have not been prosecuted by the District Attorney's office, Mr. O'Rourke said.
"I think they looked at dancing with a mailman and marrying a horse as well," Mr. O'Rourke said.
But Mr. Murray rejected any suggestion that the couple are being singled out and would not comment as to the existence of any other investigation or lack thereof.
Ms. Betheil faces up to seven years in prison and Mr. Betheil four years in prison, Mr. Murray said. The couple, who were released on their own recognizance, will appear before Judge Stephen Braslow next month. In the meantime, Mr. Murray said, the next step in the process will be a Gomberg inquiry conducted by the court.
"Essentially, what that means is that the court will conduct an inquiry of both of them on the record and make them understand the pitfalls that exist of having one attorney represent both of them," Mr. Murray said.
peggy@northshoresun.com
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6 comments found
IS THAT YOU JAYMIE? : 12/12/2009
As I stated in an ealier comment, my son and his bride were married by Mrs. Betheil in 2006. It was a beautiful ceremony and one which has given us wonderful memories to last a lifetime. My son referred friends to Mrs. Betheil and at least two (2) used her services. They were very happy with her as well. Mrs. Betheil, her husband and her family have been ordered not to post any comments by their attorney. I am not Mrs. Betheil. The fact is that not one couple out of more than 1100 complained. The complaint came from Jaymie in the form of an anonymous letter. Jaymie was fired by Mrs. Betheil for insubordination in 2006. This will all come out at the trial. Jaymie will have to take the stand. It is only Jaymie who has the motive to inflict pain on Mrs. Betheil and her family. The motive of the District Attorney is to prove that he can prosecute a Democrat. There is more to this story. Be patient. you will all hear it all in the proper forum.
Almost as funny... : 12/12/2009
The comments posted here are almost as funny as the sight of the Betheils finally getting their due. If this isn't Pam herself defending herself, it's got to be one of her kids or her husband. How does the writer know how beautiful "all the ceremonies" are? Was she or he there? Pitiful....pitiful...Where there's smoke, there's fire....people must have complained about being ripped off and that's what led to the investigation. Keep posting those pitiful comments....they are pretty funny.
FORGERY - YOU MUST BE KIDDING! : 12/12/2009
I have just learned how insane the criminal charges against Mr. and Mr. Betheil really are. Out of 1100 marriage certificates issued for weddings performed by Mrs. Betheil, the District Attorney has found ONE (1) certificate in which the Irwin Betheil allegedly witnessed the ceremony. The Disrtict Attorney claims that instead of signing his name as a witness on the certificate, Mrs. Betheil signed his name for him. IS THIS INSANE OR WHAT? Mrs. Betheil denies that she did it, but, even if we assume, only for the sake of argument that she did, what about the murderers and rapists who need to be prosecuted to protect the public? What about potential terrorist cells in Suffolk County? The District Attorney's Office really knows how to insure that we are safe. I would advise Mrs. Betheil's attorney to subpoena Mrs. Spota to find out how many times she has signed her husband's paycheck during the past 8 years?
COUPLES STACKED LIKE CORDWOOD? : 12/11/2009
When Assitant District Attorney, Mark Murray, charges that Mr. and Mr. Betheil stacked up couples to be married, "like cordwood," he obviously does not know what he is talking about! These couples voluntarily chose to be married by Mrs. Betheil, because everybody knew she performed the best civil wedding ceremonies in Suffolk County. Mr. Murray would have you believe that Mr. and Mrs. Betheil pointed guns at the couples and told them to say their vows, or else! Mr. Murray wants you to think that they threatened to have the the couples whacked by the Mafia if they chose to be married by anybody other than Mrs. Betheil. Mrs. Betheil gave more than 1100 couples beautiful memories to last for a lifetime. Mr. Murray is an embarrassment to the Distict Attorney's Offfice. You will notice that Mr. Spota himself did not conduct the press conference! Now, when the Betheils' are found "not guilty," he will fire Mr. Murray and blame him for this grave injustice. The liberals call it "plausible deniabiity." In fact, the people Mr. Spota will fire will be "stacked up like cordwood."
GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT! : 12/11/2009
The charges against Mrs. Betheil are that she overcharged less than 10% of the couples for whom she performed wedding ceremonies. She have never been accused of overcharging 1100 couples. Assistant District Attorney, Mark Murray, does not even know the facts in his own case. She did perform wedding ceremonies for approximately 1100 couples, but less than 10% were performed away from Town Hall. For 90% of the weddings, she charged the $75.00 she was authorized to charge. Those are not part of the charges against her. It should also be noted that if she performed wedding ceremonies during office hours, her political enemies would be arguing that she was not doing her job asTown Clerk. The evidence will show that wedding ceremonies have never been performed during regular office hours in Brookhaven Town Hall, or in any other Town Hall, absent unusual circumstances. Mark Murray has brought these charges before Mrs. Betheil left office in order to get more publicity for his office. Prosecuting the "former Town Clerk" would not generate ink flowing as much as prosecuting the "incumbent Town Clerk." He has seen his name in the papers. He has seen his performance on News 12. I hope he is satisfied that he will be able to place all of this in his scap book. The only question is, will he want his children and grandchildren to see all of this once the Betheil's are acquitted?
THE BETHEILS' ARE INNOCENT : 12/11/2009
Although your reporter fairly and accurately reported what happened in the courtroom, the performance of Assistant District Attorney, Mark Murray, was disgraceful. Our son and his wife were married by Ms. Betheil in 2006, and I can assure you that the wedding ceremony she performed for our son and his bride was more beautiful and memorable than most church weddings. Did it ever occur to you and your readers that she was very much in demand because of the quality of her wedding ceremonies? She received the volume of wedding ceremonies she received, because people recommended her to their friends. Our son and his bride recommended her services to several of their friends. Mrs. Betheil received her couples as a result of referrals. She did not need neon signs and Elvis in a jump suit! When Mr. Murray claims that 1100 weddings in 3 1/2 years is an"ungodly amount", what does he expect? If people want to get married, they need marriage officiants. The very law that Mrs. Betheil is accused of violating was passed to provide more marriage officiants to serve the number of couples who want to get married? Civil ceremonies have become very popular in recent years. Either Mr. Murray wants these couples to live in sin, or, in the alternative, to use the services of his buddies from "the good old boys network." He has it all wrong. It is the District Attorney and his office who will look like clowns from a Las Vegas circus before this is all over.
