SALINAS, Calif. - A California man accused of selling his 14-year-old daughter into marriage for $16,000, beer and meat has pleaded no contest to felony child endangerment. Marcelino de Jesus Martinez had pleaded not guilty in February to procuring a child for lewd acts, aiding and abetting statutory rape and child endangerment. If convicted of those charges he faced 10 years in prison. Monday's plea on the endangerment charge means the 36-year-old man will be sentenced May 7 to up to a year in jail followed by deportation. Prosecutors say Martinez and the family of Margarito de Jesus Galindo negotiated a marriage and dowry contract. Galindo and the girl allegedly lived together for a week. Martinez went to police to get his daughter back because payment wasn't made. http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/090407/world/sold_for_marriage
no if the payment was made it would have been totally covered up and this story would not have made it out into the world... he went to police to get his daughter back for lack of payment.... in this case he brought the law into his illegal act.
i don't understand ... if i'm not mistaken, a minor can get married with the parents' consent, correct? 16k as dowry. let's face it - when a couple gets married, there are huge amount of money being spent and money changing hands. Who's to say that the money can't be in the form of dowry? hhmm ... i need a law student/attorney to explain now ...
some parents took their daughter;s marriage like selling daughter, didn't know America also have ppl like that
