Decade-Long Nationwide Fraud Scheme Included About 100 Phony CT Marriages: Feds

Foreign nationals paid up to $100,000 to wed a U.S. resident in their quest to secure lawful permanent resident status, with some of the sham ceremonies happening here in Connecticut.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York this week announced the indictment of 11 people accused of participating in a decade-long nationwide phony marriage scheme.

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Federal prosecutors estimate there were more than 1,000 fake marriages, with about 100 here in Connecticut.

Most of those seeking immigration status were citizens of the People's Republic of China.

The 11 defendants, all New York residents, include: 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.

They face charges of conspiracy to commit marriage and immigration fraud and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.

According to the government, the network collected "tens of millions of dollars" from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status in the U.S.

Jamie McDonald, U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said the arrests have dismantled a central component of one of the "largest marriage fraud schemes" in U.S. history.

"The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly operated a nationwide and international, multimillion-dollar marriage fraud scheme, using participants to abuse United States immigration laws for their own profit," McDonald said.

Pete Gizas, acting special agent in charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations, said, "For over a decade, this alleged criminal network treated our immigration system like a business opportunity—charging foreign nationals exorbitant fees, recruiting U.S. citizens into sham marriages, and manufacturing false evidence to deceive the federal government."

According to the indictment, the network was primarily based in New York City. However, the defendants are accused of arranging sham marriages throughout the U.S. and overseas, including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.

The foreign nationals paid up to $100,000 to facilitators, who then paid participating U.S. citizens as much as $30,000. Payments to the U.S. citizens would come in three installments, after the wedding, after the green card application, and after the foreign national secured lawful permanent resident status, court documents show.

Recruiters could get commissions of $5,000 per U.S. citizen enlisted.

The foreign nationals and U.S. citizens would typically meet right before securing their marriage license, according to the government. The scheme involved staging photographs to give the illusion of a legitimate relationship and marriage. Participants would also open joint financial and utility accounts and file joint tax returns to further give the appearance of a real marriage, prosecutors said.

Ultimately, the foreign nationals would submit green card applications. Once they were able to get lawful permanent resident status, the network would help the "couple" get a divorce, according to federal prosecutors.