11 indicted in Chinese marriage fraud scam to gain US citizenship

Eleven individuals have been indicted in Florida for their alleged involvement in a conspiracy to arrange fraudulent marriages between U.S. citizens and Chinese nationals in order to obtain legal immigration status, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The indictment, unsealed this week, accuses the defendants of recruiting Americans, especially U.S. military personnel, to participate in staged marriages with Chinese nationals in exchange for cash payments.

The scheme allegedly ran from March 2024 through February 2025 and involved activity across several states, including Florida, New York, Connecticut and Nevada.

According to the indictment, one of the primary defendants, Anny Chen, 54, of New York, worked with others to recruit service members for sham marriages and helped coordinate photo sessions to create the appearance of genuine relationships.

Payments were processed in stages, with money disbursed at the time of the marriage, after green card issuance, and following a divorce.

The indictment also details efforts by the conspirators to secure Department of Defense identification cards through bribery for the Chinese spouses, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Chen and Linlin Wang, 38, are both charged with marriage fraud for a specific wedding held in Jacksonville on Aug. 31, 2024. Chen, a naturalized U.S. citizen from China, allegedly paid U.S. Navy reservist Raymond Zumba $10,000 in cash to marry Chinese national Sha Xie, 38, at a ceremony in Brooklyn, New York.

Court documents say Zumba, in turn, acted as a recruiter, persuading other Navy service members to enter into similar marriages, according to CBS News, pointing out that, in January 2025, a confidential source, whose spouse worked at the personnel office at Naval Air Station Jacksonville, reported that Zumba offered to pay for unauthorized ID cards.

The source, under the direction of federal agents, engaged in a series of communications that culminated in a meeting on Feb. 14, 2025, where Zumba received two ID cards in exchange for $3,500. He was arrested shortly afterward, and the cards were recovered by authorities.

The same source reported that Zumba traveled to Jacksonville on Feb. 13, 2025, accompanied by Chen, Hailing Feng and Kin Man Cheok. That evening, Zumba brought them to the NAS Jacksonville personnel office after hours, where the spouse of the confidential source began processing their requests for ID cards.

Chen, Feng and Cheok have also been indicted for conspiracy to commit bribery in relation to this episode. Prosecutors allege they attempted to gain unauthorized access to military installations and benefits through the use of fraudulent identification.

The marriage fraud conspiracy charges carry a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. Bribery conspiracy charges also carry a maximum of five years. In total, defendants Chen, Feng and Cheok each face two conspiracy charges.

Other individuals indicted for marriage fraud conspiracy include Yafeng Deng, 23, Hailing Feng, 27, Kiah Holly, 29, and Jaden Bullion, 24, all U.S. citizens, as well as Chinese nationals Jiawei Chen, 29, Xionghu Fang, 41, Tao Fan, 26, and Kin Man Cheok, 32.

In related cases, four former Navy personnel – Zumba, Brinio Urena, Morgan Chambers and Jacinth Bailey – have already pleaded guilty to charges arising from the same scheme, the Navy Times reported. Bailey, 25, admitted to accepting $10,000 upfront and agreeing to receive up to $45,000 for marrying a Chinese national and obtaining a green card for the individual.

She also admitted to flying to New York for planning meetings, communicating via encrypted apps, and participating in a photo shoot used in immigration paperwork.

Bailey married the Chinese national in a Connecticut courthouse on Jan. 2, 2025, and celebrated at a party in New York, where staged photographs were taken. After the wedding, one conspirator allegedly asked Bailey to help obtain a military identification card for her new spouse.

Bailey’s involvement came to light during an investigation led by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service into Zumba’s activities. Zumba had allegedly sought to bribe personnel at NAS Jacksonville to issue unauthorized ID cards for Chinese nationals.