Federal prosecutors have charged 11 people in an alleged nationwide immigration fraud operation that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages over at least a decade, allowing foreign nationals to seek legal permanent residency in the United States.
The Justice Department says the operation was centered in New York but extended across several states. Foreign nationals, primarily from China, allegedly paid facilitators as much as $100,000 to be paired with U.S. citizens willing to enter fraudulent marriages. Participating Americans could receive as much as $30,000, according to prosecutors.
The alleged operation went far beyond arranging introductions. Prosecutors say participants staged wedding ceremonies and photographs, opened joint bank and other accounts, and prepared documents intended to make the marriages appear legitimate. Participants were also allegedly coached on how to answer questions from immigration officials and conceal the true nature of their relationships.
Some of the marriages allegedly involved active-duty U.S. service members, and the broader network stretched into states including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida. Prosecutors estimate that the operation collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status.
The defendants face federal conspiracy charges related to marriage and immigration fraud and allegedly encouraging the unlawful residence of immigrants in the United States. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case as one of the largest marriage-fraud prosecutions in U.S. history. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
