By Our Man in Florida
A Florida man of God who literally wrote the book on Christian marriage has been caught practicing a little too much of what he preached.
Leslie Williams, 62, the self-styled relationship guru behind the best-selling guide Love Your Wife, was hauled away in handcuffs this week.
The charge? Not just loving his wife—but allegedly loving two of them at the same time.
Police swooped on the silver-haired preacher in a coastal enclave known as a “swingers’ paradise,” where the cocktails are cold and the marital vows are, apparently, optional.
Williams, whose ministry focused on the sanctity of the “one-man, one-woman” bond, is accused of bigamy. Detectives allege the pastor walked down the aisle with a new bride while still being legally tethered to his original “soulmate.
The arrest has sent shockwaves through his Florida congregation, who previously looked to Williams as the gold standard for domestic bliss.
”He told us that a three-fold cord is not easily broken,” said one disillusioned parishioner. “We just didn’t realize he meant three people in the marriage license.”
The irony of the location hasn’t been lost on local authorities. Williams was apprehended in a sunshine-soaked community famous for its “anything goes” lifestyle—a far cry from the conservative pulpit where he railed against the temptations of the flesh.
While Williams’ book advises husbands to “cherish their spouse above all others,” Florida prosecutors claim he took that advice so literally he decided to double his workload.
Background: The Fall of a Marriage Mogul
The Suspect: Leslie Williams, 62, a prominent Florida pastor and author.
The Claim to Fame: His guide, Love Your Wife, became a local staple for pre-marital counseling, emphasizing fidelity and the “divine contract” of marriage.
The Allegation: Investigators discovered Williams had entered into a second legal marriage without dissolving his first. Under Florida law, bigamy is a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison.
The Setting: The arrest took place in a region of Florida colloquially known for its high concentration of “lifestyle” clubs and swingers’ resorts, adding a layer of scandal to the preacher’s “wholesome” public image.
Williams is currently being held on bond. His first wife was unavailable for comment—as was his second.
