WASHINGTON — The feds nabbed 10 suspects accused of operating a decade-long marriage fraud scheme that resulted in around 1,000 sham weddings between Chinese nationals and US citizens for the purposes of getting the Asians green cards.
Each of the defendants arrested Wednesday face charges of conspiring to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud as well as conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the US.
The fake unions were purchased for up to $100,000 a pop and involved the submission of fraudulent applications to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) on behalf of mostly Chinese nationals seeking lawful permanent residency.
According to the 21-page indictment filed in the Southern District of New York, the green card scheme also involved attorneys, tax preparers and bogus marriage officiants. The American members of the sham couples were paid around $30,000 to participate in the performance, prosecutors said.
Officials were scheduled to hold a 1 p.m. press conference at DOJ headquarters in Washington with more information.
This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.
