A 23-year-old Kansas City man is facing a statutory rape charge for allegedly having sex with a 14-year-old he "married" in an arrangement set up by her stepfather to keep her from having sex with a boy her own age.

Jackson County prosecutors say Vincent Mosby signed a contract and paid a dowry to be with the girl, whose stepfather arranged a religious ceremony on Aug. 4 at the girl's home, not far from the stepfather's mosque.

But the marriage was not legal in Missouri because of the girl's age. Police say she was pressured into the union by her mother and stepfather, who were concerned that she was going to become sexually active.

According to court records, Mosby admitted that he and the girl had sex three times in August at the girl's home - while her parents were in the house.

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Nearly three weeks after the ceremony, relatives called police and took the teen away to protect her. A relative told police that Mosby called on Sept. 7 and threatened violence if the family members didn't "give me back my wife in 72 hours," prosecutors said.

Two days after that phone call, someone fired three shots into the home of the girl's aunt, but no one was hit.

Mosby was arrested Saturday and was charged with statutory rape. He was being held on $100,000 cash bond. The Jackson County prosecutor's office said it's unclear if Mosby has an attorney or is waiting for one to be appointed for him.

A spokeswoman for the prosecutor's office said the status of the man who allegedly arranged the marriage also is unclear. Police investigators have classified him as the "boyfriend/husband" of the girl's mother.

Police said Mosby, the girl and her stepfather had several "sit-downs" before the Aug. 4 religious ceremony, and that Mosby had purchased the girl's dowry - a watch and ring - at Wal-Mart.

Two members of the stepfather's mosque attended the ceremony, but the girl wasn't allowed to be there, according to court records. Instead, she waited in her room until her stepfather came upstairs and announced that she was married.

Police say they have the "marriage contract," which includes signatures of the girl, Mosby and the stepfather.

Even after the ceremony, the girl continued to live with her mother and stepfather instead of with Mosby. The two kept in touch through phone calls and text messages, according to court records.

Mahnaz Shabbir of Stilwell, who was a former president of the Heartland Muslim Council, said boys and girls are considered adults in Islam when they hit puberty. But Islam also says followers should live by the law of the land, Shabbir said.

Police said Mosby told them he knew the girl was 14 but thought the relationship was legal because the girl's guardians approved.

He said he didn't shoot at the aunt's house, although he admitted that he was angry with the family, according to court documents.

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Information from: The Kansas City Star, http://www.kcstar.com