Foreign clients were allegedly paired with US citizens willing to enter sham marriages for payments of up to $30,000, with recruiters earning commissions for each participant
Federal authorities have charged 11 people in connection with an alleged nationwide marriage fraud operation that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages to help foreign nationals obtain US immigration benefits.
The US Department of Justice (DOJ) said the scheme operated for about a decade and generated millions of dollars by arranging fraudulent marriages, primarily for citizens of China. Clients allegedly paid as much as $100,000 to obtain Green Cards and eventually pursue US citizenship.
Fake marriages staged across US, overseas
According to an indictment unsealed by the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the operation ran from at least 2016 until July 2026.
The alleged organisers paired foreign nationals with US citizens who were recruited to enter fake marriages. The US participants were promised payments of up to $30,000, which were reportedly made in stages as the immigration process progressed. Recruiters allegedly received commissions of up to $5,000 for each US citizen they brought into the scheme.
In some cases, the couples reportedly met for the first time shortly before obtaining their marriage licences.
The alleged conspirators then staged wedding ceremonies at various locations in the US and abroad, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu and China. Photographs were taken to create the appearance of genuine relationships.
Fake documents used to fool immigration officials
The operation allegedly went beyond arranging sham marriages. Prosecutors said participants created false evidence to convince US immigration officials that the relationships were genuine.
The network allegedly arranged joint bank accounts, utility bills, insurance policies and fraudulent joint tax returns. It also reportedly created fake wedding albums and other documents to support the applications.
Couples were allegedly coached before interviews with US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), with participants instructed to give matching but fabricated answers to questions about their relationships.
10 suspects arrested
Federal authorities arrested 10 of the 11 defendants on Wednesday morning. They were later arraigned before US Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in federal court in White Plains.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald described the alleged operation as a nationwide and international multimillion-dollar scheme that exploited US immigration laws for profit.
“The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly operated a nationwide and international, multimillion-dollar marriage fraud scheme,” McDonald said.
He added that the arrests had dismantled what authorities described as a major component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in US history.
Attorney General Todd Blanche also warned that the government would pursue those involved in fraudulent immigration schemes.
Defendants face up to five years in prison
The 11 defendants are Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, Christine Lu, Jing Yan Ye, Xiao Yan Chen, Gang Zheng, Anthony Cheng, Michelle Duenas, Angela Duenas, Sigrid Cetino and Erika Johnson.
Each faces one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud. If convicted, each charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison.
The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
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