What an incredible time to be alive. What would have been a bizarre reality a few decades ago has become a bizarre reality: a Texan man is currently on the run after authorities discovered he had forged his wife’s signature on their divorce papers and perjured himself during a divorce hearing.
Cops are looking for Paul Nixon, 51, of Harris County, Texas, for allegedly forging his wife’s and notary’s names on court documents. Nixon filed the application with a judge on February 15, according to the police report. He then legally dissolves his marriage two months later by submitting the completed divorce paperwork.
Nixon’s wife discovered she had been divorced without her knowledge in May and reported it to the police. Nixon is being sought for aggravated forgery after officials uncovered the forged divorce papers he had signed himself.
Nixon’s wife says that her husband filed for divorce without her knowledge or consent, and that he completed the process without her knowledge or consent. She only found out after all of the proceedings were finished and the court had filed the final divorce decree.
Constable Mark Herman of Harris County said, “We rarely see stuff like this.” “In this scenario, the gentleman chose to divorce, but the only problem is that he didn’t include his wife in the process. And here in Texas, that’s against the law.
“His wife was taken aback. She discovered evidence that he was spending money on jewels and questioned him, who informed her that they were actually divorced.”
Nixon attempted to divorce his wife by submitting “several forged documents and false information” to a district court, including “a forged waiver of service” and a forged signature from a public notary, according to a press release posted on the constable’s Facebook page.
The police were able to seek a nullification of the divorce and reinstate Nixon’s marriage to his wife, which was lucky or terrible depending on who you ask.
“They’re still married legally,” Herman remarked. “The forged divorce papers have been withdrawn.”
Nixon has already fled the country after officials issued a warrant for his arrest in connection with the incident.
“I can tell you that we have teams looking for him right now.” And we have a good sense of where he is. So, maybe, he’ll surrender. We’ll capture him if he doesn’t. “It’s only a question of time.”
Nixon is wanted for egregious perjury and is wanted on a no-bond warrant. When a person makes a false statement during or in conjunction with an official procedure, and the false statement is “substantial,” such as in a divorce document, it is called aggravated perjury. This is a felony of the Class D variety.
Nixon faces up to ten years in jail and penalties if convicted under federal law. Perjury is a felony that can result in a prison sentence of at least one year, as well as fines and probation, depending on state law.
Despite his efforts, he was unable to obtain a divorce. His wife, on the other hand, will almost certainly grant his request while he is incarcerated.
