Haitian Man Denies Committing Marriage Fraud to Get Spousal Permit

NASSAU, BAHAMAS – A Haitian man has denied committing marriage fraud in order to get a spousal permit.

Prosecutors alleged that Ernso St Vil, a 25-year-old plumber, entered a fake marriage on May 8, 2019, and later that year submitted a marriage certificate to the Immigration Department to support his application for a spousal permit.

But the alleged scheme unraveled when his supposed bride, Gia Clarke, had a baby in February 2025.

She was shocked to learn that she eas married to St Vil when she went to register her son’s birth.

St Vil denied the allegations at his arraignment before Magistrate Kendra Kelly-Burrows and was granted $6,000 cash bail on the condition he wears an ankle bracelet.

St Vil also has to check in at a police station weekly until the conclusion of his trial, which is set to begin on April 8.