Trump's week in review: HHS halts funds for child sex changes; American released from Russia
3. DOJ charges 11 people in marriage fraud scheme
In a statement Wednesday, the DOJ revealed the indictment of 11 people for “conspiring, over the course of more than a decade, to orchestrate more than 1,000 sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status for foreign nationals, primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China.”
The defendants all reside in the New York City area and range in age from 26 to 72 years old.
Under the scheme, foreign nationals paid facilitators up to about $100,000 for fraudulent marriages as part of an effort to obtain lawful permanent resident status. Facilitators would pay U.S. citizens up to $300,000 to marry foreign nationals, often paying them in installments as the foreign nationals reached milestones in the green card application process. Defendants would stage wedding photographs and ceremonies in addition to filing tax documents jointly in an attempt to make the marriages appear legitimate even though they were not.
The defendants were each charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage and immigration fraud, which is punishable by up to five years in prison, as well as one count of conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the U.S., which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years behind bars.
“This Department of Justice is rooting out fraud everywhere — including in our immigration system,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The individuals who were arrested today allegedly orchestrated elaborate schemes to illegally obtain citizenship for foreign nationals through sham marriages. Schemes like this are a deliberate affront to the United States and our laws and will not be tolerated under the Trump Administration.”
Ryan Foley is a reporter for The Christian Post. He can be reached at: ryan.foley@christianpost.com
