Oregon Governor's Fiancee Admits She Married A Man To Help Him Get U.S. Residency | HuffPost

Oregon Governor's Fiancee Admits She Married A Man To Help Him Get U.S. Residency

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The fiancée of Oregon Gov. John Kitzhaber (D) admitted on Thursday that she accepted $5,000 nearly two decades ago in exchange for marrying an Ethiopian man to help him obtain residency in the U.S.

Cylvia Hayes, who got engaged to Kitzhaber over the summer, used the money to pay for a laptop and school expenses, The Oregonian reported on Thursday. Hayes married Abraham Abraham in 1997 when she was 29 and he was 18. Their divorce was finalized in 2002.

Hayes apologized for the “serious mistake” at a press conference on Thursday and said Kitzhaber, who she has known for 10 years, didn’t know about her previous marriage until this week. Hayes said she kept the marriage secret because she was embarrassed.

“My decision to marry illegally felt very, very distant and far removed from the life I was building," Hayes wrote in a statement to The Oregonian on Thursday. "I was ashamed and embarrassed. Therefore I did not share this information even with John once we met and started dating."

Hayes said she asked Kitzhaber not to attend her press conference.

Kitzhaber is running for his fourth term as governor. According to HuffPost Pollster, he leads his Republican opponent, state Rep. Dennis Richardson, by 10.4 percentage points.

It is unclear whether Hayes could face penalties for the marriage, but she said she was prepared to accept them.

CORRECTION: This article has been edited to correct the ages of Hayes and Abraham when they were married. She was 29 at the time and he was 18.

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Before You Go

United States Governors

Robert Bentley (R-Ala.)(01 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2015 (credit:AP)

Bill Walker (R-Alaska)(02 of50)

Took office: Dec. 2014Term ends: Jan. 2018 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Doug Ducey (R-Ariz.)(03 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark.)(04 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Jerry Brown (D-Calif.)(05 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

John Hickenlooper (D-Colo.)(06 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Dannel P. Malloy (D-Conn.)(07 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Jack Markell (D-Del.)(08 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2009Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Rick Scott (R-Fla.)(09 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:Getty Images)

Nathan Deal (R-Ga.)(10 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

David Ige (D-Hawaii)(11 of50)

Took office: Dec. 2014Term ends: Jan. 2018 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Butch Otter (R-Idaho)(12 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2007Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Bruce Rauner (R-Ill.)(13 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Mike Pence (R-Ind.)(14 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2013Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Terry Branstad (R-Iowa)(15 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Sam Brownback (R-Kan.)(16 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Steve Beshear (D-Ky.)(17 of50)

Took office: Dec. 2007Term ends: Dec. 2015 (credit:AP)

Bobby Jindal (R-La.)(18 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2008Term ends: Jan. 2016 (credit:AP)

Paul LePage (R-Maine)(19 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Larry Hogan (R-Md.)(20 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Charlie Baker (R-Mass.)(21 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Rick Snyder (R-Mich.)(22 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Mark Dayton (D-Minn.)(23 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Phil Bryant (R-Miss.)(24 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2012Term ends: Jan. 2016 (credit:AP)

Jay Nixon (D-Mo.)(25 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2009Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Steve Bullock (D-Mont.)(26 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2013Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Pete Ricketts (R-Neb.)(27 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Brian Sandoval (R-Nev.)(28 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Maggie Hassan (D-N.H.)(29 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2013Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Chris Christie (R-N.J.)(30 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2010Term ends: Jan. 2018 (credit:AP)

Susana Martinez (R-N.M.)(31 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Andrew Cuomo (D-N.Y.)(32 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Pat McCrory (R-N.C.)(33 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2013Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Jack Dalrymple (R-N.D.)(34 of50)

Took office: Dec. 2010Term ends: Dec. 2016 (credit:AP)

John Kasich (R-Ohio)(35 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Mary Fallin (R-Okla.)(36 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Kate Brown (D-Ore.)(37 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Tom Wolf (D-Pa.)(38 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Gina Raimondo (D-R.I.)(39 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Nikki Haley (R-S.C.)(40 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Dennis Daugaard (R-S.D.)(41 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Bill Haslam (R-Tenn.)(42 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Greg Abbott (R-Texas)(43 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2015Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:Chip Somodevilla via Getty Images)

Gary Herbert (R-Utah)(44 of50)

Took office: Aug. 2009Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:Getty Images)

Peter Shumlin (D-Vt.)(45 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Terry McAuliffe (D-Va.)(46 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2014Term ends: Jan. 2018 (credit:AP)

Jay Inslee (D-Wash.)(47 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2013Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:Getty Images)

Earl Ray Tomblin (D-W.Va.)(48 of50)

Took office: Nov. 2010Term ends: Jan. 2017 (credit:AP)

Scott Walker (R-Wis.)(49 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

Matt Mead (R-Wyo.)(50 of50)

Took office: Jan. 2011Term ends: Jan. 2019 (credit:AP)

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