NEW YORK, Aug. 13 (DC Times Online) — Federal prosecutors in New York have charged 11 people with allegedly arranging more than 1,000 sham marriages over more than a decade, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest marriage-fraud schemes charged in U.S. history.
The Justice Department announced the case and the arrests at a news conference in Washington, D.C. The two-count indictment was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The defendants are 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. The indictment charges each with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States. The charges are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
How the alleged scheme worked
According to the Justice Department’s description of the indictment, the network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026. It was based mainly in New York City but allegedly arranged marriages in several states and overseas, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu and China.
Prosecutors allege that the operation connected Chinese nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status with U.S. citizens willing to enter sham marriages. A sham marriage, in this context, is a marriage entered into mainly to help someone obtain an immigration benefit rather than to build a genuine marital relationship.
The alleged network used advertising and social media to find participants, prosecutors said. The indictment also alleges that participants were coached and that the network created or arranged records intended to make the marriages appear legitimate. Those records allegedly included wedding-related photographs, ceremonies and joint financial accounts.
The Justice Department said foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as about $100,000 for a sham marriage and help with the immigration process. U.S. citizens who agreed to participate allegedly received as much as about $30,000, generally in installments linked to stages of a green-card application. Recruiters allegedly received up to about $5,000 for each U.S. citizen they brought into the scheme.
What immigration documents were allegedly filed?
A green card is a document showing that a person has lawful permanent resident status in the United States. Prosecutors allege that the network submitted at least hundreds of fraudulent green-card applications and supporting documents to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, or USCIS.
The Justice Department said investigators believe the operation collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking permanent resident status. The materials released about the case do not establish how many applications were approved or how many of the marriages resulted in green cards.
What are the charges?
The first count alleges a conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud. That charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison if a defendant is convicted.
The second count alleges a conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States. That charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if a defendant is convicted.
A conspiracy charge generally alleges that people agreed to commit an offense and took steps to advance that agreement. An indictment is a formal accusation, not a finding that the alleged conduct occurred.
Where is the case being handled?
The prosecution is being handled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, the federal district that includes Manhattan and other parts of southeastern New York. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald said the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators operated a nationwide and international scheme for profit.
Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case at the Washington news conference as one of the largest marriage-fraud schemes charged in U.S. history. The Justice Department did not provide a comparison ranking or a data set establishing an official nationwide ranking.
The alleged conduct reached beyond New York, but the supplied court information does not identify a specific Washington, D.C., defendant, marriage or alleged act. The materials also do not provide the case number, assigned judge, arraignment results, pleas or statements from defense lawyers.
The case will now proceed through the federal court process. Prosecutors must prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt for any defendant to be convicted.
