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American citizens were paid as much as $30,000 to enter into
bogus marriages with immigrants seeking lawful permanent
resident status as part of the scheme orchestrated from New
York, according to court papers. The defendants charged up to
$100,000 per green card, bringing in tens of millions of dollars
over the course of the decade-long scheme, according to
officials.
Authorities say they believe the group arranged more than 1,000
sham weddings, describing it as one of the largest marriage
fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.
“This scheme was not a quick, fly-by-night operation but rather
a yearslong, multibillion dollar cottage industry to criminally
assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise
become citizens of the United States,” Attorney General Todd
Blanche told reporters.
The charges come against the backdrop of the Trump
administration’s restrictions on both legal and illegal
immigration that have sought to crack down on who is able to
enter the country or become a citizen.
After recruiting U.S. citizens, the defendants would arrange
fake weddings and in some cases stage photos of families at
places such as restaurants afterward to make them look
legitimate, according to officials. The defendants would then
help the immigrants through the lawful permanent status
application process.
“These schemes have real cost. They rob our country of its
ability to know who should be and who should not be allowed in
America,” Blanche said.
The 11 defendants, including people accused of officiating the
sham weddings, are charged in an indictment filed in New York.
It was not immediately clear Wednesday whether they had lawyers
to speak on their behalf.
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