Russian Roulette

The bride says she married for love; her mother-in-law suspects it was money. The only person who can settle the dispute is dead.

A A A Comments By Julie Jargon Thursday, Sep 25 2003

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"No one was invited to that wedding," Donald counters. "Josefina was all Dietrich had. Certainly if it was legitimate, he would have had his mother there."

But Viktoriya is sticking to her story. "I am a very pretty woman, and he didn't have any money. If I wanted to marry someone for the papers, I'd go find someone else," she says, adding that she has a visa and is awaiting an interview with immigration officials. In the meantime, she's living in Denver and running her own housecleaning business, VOP Care, which is registered with the Colorado Secretary of State's Office, an agency that doesn't inquire about a business owner's immigration status.

Matt Collins

International man of mystery: Dietrich Angerer.

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Even Viktoriya's own attorney claims not to know her immigration status. "That information hasn't been shared with me," Mahoney says. "But like a lot of immigrants, I think she's afraid to use the judicial system out of fear. The cards are stacked against her."

Still, she is prepared to fight for the condo. "I have a right to it," she says.

"If she's interested in his possessions," Carol Cummings quips, "we have two of his dogs."

Josefina isn't going to give up; she's even hired a private investigator to discredit Viktoriya's claims. The next step in the effort to resolve the condo dispute is for both parties to give depositions -- something that could happen in October or November. After that, the case will go before a judge.

Viktoriya "may have a legal right to it," Donald says, "but morally, she has no right to anything."