Overview
- Federal prosecutors unsealed a two-count indictment on Aug. 12 that charges 11 people with running a nationwide and international scheme that allegedly arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages from at least 2016 through July 2026.
- Authorities arrested the defendants and executed search warrants at multiple New York locations after investigators traced the operation to a broader probe and collected evidence including staged wedding photos and fabricated documents.
- Each defendant faces one count of conspiracy to commit marriage and immigration document fraud, with a maximum prison term of five years, and one count of conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence, which carries up to ten years.
- Prosecutors say the network acted like a business that charged foreign nationals as much as $100,000 per sham marriage, paid U.S. participants up to about $30,000, recruited Americans via social media, and used officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, and coached interviews to manufacture proof of bona fide marriages.
- The Justice Department and Homeland Security described the case as one of the largest marriage-fraud prosecutions in U.S. history, said investigators are still pursuing co-conspirators, and indicated civil immigration steps such as denaturalization or revocation of status are possible next moves.