11 Charged in Immigration Scheme Involving More Than 1,000 Sham Marriages

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged 11 people with allegedly helping foreign nationals, primarily Chinese nationals, to obtain green cards through a marriage fraud scheme, according to an indictment unsealed on Aug. 12.The people behind the alleged scheme were all naturalized U.S. citizens originally from China and one green card holder, according to Attorney General Todd Blanche. The defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.“This is one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history,” Blanche said during a press conference announcing the indictment. “This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation but rather a years-long multimillion-dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States.”From at least 2016 to July 2026, the defendants were allegedly involved in a marriage fraud scheme that included approximately 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens and the submission of fraudulent applications to Citizenship and Immigration Services requesting lawful permanent resident status for the foreign nationals, according to the 21-page indictment.The DOJ stated that the defendants allegedly facilitated the marriage fraud scheme and paired foreign nationals seeking immigration status with U.S. citizens recruited by other scheme participants to partake in sham marriages, utilizing service providers—including attorneys, tax preparers, and officiants—to advance these sham marriages and submit fraudulent immigration applications to obtain lawful permanent residency for the foreign nationals.The defendants allegedly “used word of mouth, social media, and various forms of advertising to market fraudulent immigration services to foreign nationals—primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China—including their ability to arrange sham marriages to facilitate fraudulent applications for lawful permanent resident status in the United States,” the indictment states.The indictment included photos of sham wedding ceremonies that the defendants submitted to immigration authorities.“In some cases, these sham wedding ceremonies were held at nearby restaurants, where the foreign nationals and United States citizens changed into traditional Chinese wedding attire, and the facilitator, recruiter, foreign national, and United States citizen invited friends and family to create the appearance of a legitimate wedding,” the indictment reads.The Justice Department stated that foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as $100,000 to manage the process and find U.S. citizens, who were then paid up to $30,000 to be part of a sham marriage, with the amount paid in three increments during the Green Card process. Recruiters got a commission of approximately $5,000 for each U.S. citizen they recruited for the scheme.While the alleged facilitators and recruiters operated primarily in New York state, they facilitated sham marriages across the United States and abroad, including in China, Vanuatu, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, Connecticut, and Georgia, according to the indictment.The defendants, based throughout New York state, were all arrested on Aug. 12 and 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 are scheduled to be arraigned on Aug. 12.If convicted, the defendants face 10 years in prison.U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York said in a statement, “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.”He said that the arrests have “dismantled a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history.”The Department of Justice announcement follows an executive order that President Donald Trump signed last week to ban birth tourism, in which foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth so that the child can be a U.S. citizen.