MONROVIA – The wife of the House ‘majority bloc’ Speaker, Richard Nagbe Koon, has unleashed a bombshell in the Civil Law Court, accusing the Montserrado County lawmaker of bigamy, adultery, and emotional cruelty—telling the court in no uncertain terms telling the court that her life is in danger in the marriage and needs to be rescued.
In an emotionally charged complaint filed on April 22, 2025, before Resident Circuit Judge J. Kennedy Peabody at the Sixth Judicial Circuit, Mrs. Cecelia Kpor Koon pleaded with the court to dissolve her marriage to Representative Koon, citing a litany of alleged betrayals that include desertion, violent behavior, and efforts to marry another woman in the United States while still legally bound to her.
The complaint, filed by the Kailondo & Associates Law Firm on her behalf, describes a marriage that started with hope but quickly spiraled into a “web of cruelty, lies, and infidelity.” According to court documents, the couple was married on July 29, 2015, in Wilmington, Delaware—a union that was later used to secure Koon’s conditional U.S. residency.
But years later, the woman who once stood beside him now accuses the Montserrado District #11 Representative of inflicting emotional torment and abandoning his obligations as a husband. “Since the consummation of their marriage, life between she and the Defendant has been peaceful and in harmony until late 2018, when Defendant started to enjoy the benefit as a Representative of District 11,” the complaint states.
She continued: “Defendant became unmindful of his marital vows and covenants, to an extent of being extremely quarrelsome, intolerably pugnacious, violent, and cruel towards Plaintiff as his wife, and in those regards, abandoning and deserting his marital bed.”
A Legal Marriage, an Illegal Life?
The marriage between Cecelia and Richard Koon was solemnized in Delaware, United States, with a certificate issued under State File No. NCC 044351-2015. The officiant was Kenneth W. Boulden Jr., Clerk of the Peace, and both parties listed the same address in Frederick, Maryland, at the time of the wedding.
Prior to the union, Mrs. Koon says Rep. Koon presented a divorce decree issued on June 5, 2015, from the same Civil Law Court in Monrovia, which terminated his previous marriage to Angeline W. Koon. This, she says, gave her full confidence that he was legally free to remarry. “Plaintiff gives notice that she will produce a copy of said Bill of Divorcement presented by the Defendant… during the trial of this case,” the complaint said.
After their wedding, Koon applied for U.S. residency by filing Form I-485 with U.S. immigration authorities, confirming he was married to Mrs. Koon. They were interviewed on August 15, 2016, at the USCIS Pittsburgh Field Office, where both “confirmed and affirmed that they are residing together in a bona-fide marriage.” His application was approved, and he was granted conditional permanent residency.
But the legal marriage, Mrs. Koon alleges, was soon betrayed by deception.
Bigamy Allegations Rock the House
According to the complaint, Rep. Koon entered into an adulterous relationship with Christiana Belloh Tue, who later filed her own I-130 immigration petition in the U.S. on August 9, 2021, claiming to be his legal spouse.
Mrs. Koon says this act “clearly shows that Defendant and Madam Tue should be criminally held liable for bigamy, polygamy, forgery, etc., and in furtherance, confirmed and affirmed her husband’s infidelity and adultery.”
In support of her petition, Tue submitted a marriage certificate, a letter from Koon, and a purported divorce certificate between Koon and Mrs. Koon—despite the fact that no divorce had taken place. That I-130 petition was eventually denied by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) in a report dated December 1, 2022, signed by Field Office Director Shanita R. Tucker.
“Plaintiff gives notice to Your Honor and this Honorable Court that she will present into evidence the complete report… denying Defendant purported wife, Madam Tue’s Petition,” the court documents state.
Mrs. Koon alleges that Koon also had a child with another woman, Gifty Falkai, further validating his extra-marital affairs. She said she bore all of this with patience and the hope that he would return to his senses. “Considering this, she bore the spirit of peace and hope that Defendant would see a reason to refrain from such conduct, but same has proven to be fruitless,” she told the court.
Property Dispute and Financial Neglect
Mrs. Koon also accuses Rep. Koon of financial abandonment. “Defendant… refused to provide support for Plaintiff as his wife, especially where he has won twice as Representative of the House for District #11,” the complaint reads.
She says that despite winning election and claiming to be Speaker of the House—though that claim is being challenged by his legislative peers—Koon has failed to meet his responsibilities as a husband. She further accused him of denying her access to two duplex apartments in Montgomery County, Maryland, which he had previously assigned to her in a notarized Notification of Reward.
“Despite Defendant’s cruel and inhumane treatment, Plaintiff has dutifully and faithfully kept her marital vows consistent with her marital oath,” the complaint insists.
A Cry for Legal Rescue
In one of the most emotional portions of the document, Mrs. Koon pleads for urgent intervention. “Plaintiff most respectfully informs Your Honor that her continuous stay in this marriage is dangerous to her physical and mental well-being and hence, cries out to Your Honor and this Honorable Court for rescue and relief, as she has no other source for such rescue and relief but the Courts of this Republic in such a situation,” the petition asserts.
She is now asking the court to annul the marriage and “make them separate and distinct persons as if they were never married in holy matrimony.” She also requests any additional relief the court deems just and legal under the circumstances.
Legal Showdown Ahead
A Writ of Summons issued by the Civil Law Court orders Rep. Koon to file a response on or before May 1, 2025. The full hearing is scheduled for June 16, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. Failure to respond could result in a default judgment.
If proven, the allegations could deal a severe blow to Rep. Koon’s political future. With his Speakership already under dispute in the House, this court battle may not only sever his marriage but also cast a long shadow over his public service career.
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