Eleven individuals have been accused of helping to facilitate over 1,000 fake marriages to help foreign nationals gain U.S. citizenship over the last decade.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) issued a two-count indictment charging 11 people involved in arranging over 1,000 fake marriages to help foreign nationals gain legal status in the United States. The indictment alleges that the marriage fraud network operated by the defendants had been operating for at least 10 years and arranged sham marriages throughout the U.S. between U.S. citizens and foreign nationals primarily from the People’s Republic of China.
Defendants named in the indictment carried out different roles within the organization, including identifying foreign-national customers, recruiting willing U.S. citizens, and preparing and coordinating the submission of immigration paperwork. The defendants were paid as much as $100,000 per marriage, and it is estimated that they collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals throughout the duration of their scam.
“Anyone willing to lie, cheat or steal their way to legal immigration status is a direct threat to America’s national security,” said Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is aggressively pursuing marriage fraud schemes and the criminal organizations and ringleaders who profit from them. USCIS will continue to expose fraud, defend the rule of law, and ensure immigration status is reserved for those who truly qualify.”
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For U.S. attorneys as they prosecute cases of fraud, including scam marriages.
- For Attorney General Blanche to be discerning in his management of the Justice Department.
- For U.S. agents as they investigate networks engaged in fraud.
Sources: Department of Justice
