SALT LAKE CITY – A bigamy investigation has been launched into a polygamous family starring in a reality television show, police said Tuesday.

Lehi police Lt. Darren Paul has said the probe was triggered by the reality television show "Sister Wives," which features 41-year-old advertising salesman Kody Brown and his four wives, 13 children and three stepchildren. The TLC program premiered Sunday.

Brown is only legally married to Meri but also calls three other women his spouses: Janelle, Christine and Robyn. The three stepchildren are from Robyn's previous relationship.

Christine Brown declined to comment Tuesday, although the family issued a statement through TLC that it was disappointed.

"...When we decided to do this show, we knew there would be risks," the family said. "But for the sake of our family, and most importantly, our kids, we felt it was a risk worth taking."

The Browns have said they hoped that the reality show's peek into their lives would help broaden the public's understanding of plural families.

Across Utah and parts of the western U.S., polygamy is a legacy of the early Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Members brought the practice to Utah in 1847, but the Mormon church disavowed plural marriage in 1890 as part of a push for Utah's statehood.

Although it is rarely prosecuted, bigamy is a third-degree felony in Utah, punishable by a prison term of up to five years. Under the law, a person can be found guilty of bigamy through cohabitation, not just legal marriage contracts....

Legal Investigation of bigamy

This last part is kinda troubling to me. Bigamy implies deception, either of another person or of the state. If the man is only legally married to one woman, then what business is it of the state's what else he may be doing? Who is he deceiving? Being found guilty of bigamy through cohabitation is ironically the state redefining marriage. That sort of seems like a "Find out what (insert group here) is doing and make them stop!!!" If a man wants to live with X number of women or vice versa how can the state stop that legally???