In what federal prosecutors have labeled one of the most consequential fraud prosecutions in U.S. history, a sweeping indictment has come out, charging ringleaders with operating a decade-long green card scheme. Beginning in 2016 and coming to a crashing end just last month, the international network arranged over 1,000 sham marriages between foreign nationals, the majority uniting citizens of the People’s Republic of China and U.S. citizens to secure permanent residency in the States. 

According to a press release from the Department of Justice, the enterprise was based in New York City but had reached both coasts, with states like Florida, Massachusetts, and Kentucky playing host to these farce marriages. 

A $100,000 Wedding 

For foreign nationals trying to get a green card, the costs of participating in the illicit activity were steep. The recently released indictment specifies that clients paid as much as $100,000 to facilitators sham marriage packets.

The network employed word-of-mouth tactics and social media to recruit American citizens to enter into these phony unions. These participants were paid up to $30,000, doled out in installments aligning with milestones such as signing the marriage certificate and completing USCIS interviews. Recruiters who enlisted American citizens earned nearly $5,000 per person.

“This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a yearslong multi-million-dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not or legally could not otherwise become citizens of the United States,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche during a recent news conference. 

The Fabrication 

In attempts to bypass federal scrutiny, the organizers took extreme measures to create convincing illusions of genuine relationships. With newly paired couples generally only having just met before receiving their marriage license, quick ceremonies with photographers were held to submit as evidence to immigration authorities. Additionally, organizers opened joint bank accounts and filed joint tax returns to manufacture proof of cohabitation. Coaching sessions were also mandated prior to interviews with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, with couples being coached on potential questions and being prepared to cover up the fraudulent nature of their relationships.

“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,” announced U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York. “Today’s arrests have dismantled a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history." 

Government Crackdown

The bust ultimately involved efforts from several agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security unit. 

Joseph B. Edlow, director of USCIS, stressed the risks of immigration fraud, stating, “Anyone willing to lie, cheat, or steal their way into legal immigration status is a direct threat to America’s national security. USCIS will continue to expose fraud, defend the rule of law, and ensure immigration status is reserved for those who truly qualify.”