'Sister Wives' Family on Going Public: 'We Knew What the Risks Were'
March 7, 2011— -- The polygamist family featured on TLC's reality show, "Sister Wives," said the criminal investigation into their lifestyle was a factor, among many others including finding a bigger house, in their decision to move from their home in Lehi, Utah, to Las Vegas, Nev.
"We didn't want this thing hanging over us," said Kody Brown, a salesman and the patriarch of the family. "We went to Vegas with hopes of having a good life, preserving the family. ... We never did anything here at all to be rebellious, to challenge the statutes of the law, or anything like that."
"We still have our family," Robyn, Brown's fourth wife, said. "That's all it boils down to."
Brown and his four wives -- Meri, Janelle, Christine and Robyn -- sat down with ABC News' Dan Harris on "Nightline" Monday to discuss how their family had been affected since going public as polygamists six months ago on national television.
It was the first time the five of them had talked at length about potentially facing bigamy charges back in Utah.
"We knew what the risks were," said Meri, Brown's first wife.
"You go from one fear to another," Robyn Brown said. "When you grow up in this lifestyle, you aren't able to completely be yourself. You do live in fear already, and you just go from one fear to another. We're just trading fears at this point."
"We try to do everything we can with the kids to just keep everything the same, keep the routines the same," Meri Brown added.
While the Mormon family could still face prosecution, a representative from the Utah County Attorney's Office said they still have not filed criminal charges against the Browns.
"I understood the concept of my faith," said Janelle, Brown's second wife. "It was more of my, like questioning society, questioning, like, is everything going to be OK?"
All five said they had mixed feelings about putting themselves and their 16 children in the spotlight, but had tried to maintain a positive attitude.
