NEW YORK — Authorities on Wednesday announced a major bust in an international marriage scam involving hundreds of potential victims.<\/p>\n
Prosecutors allege 11 people in New York arranged sham marriages for foreign nationals trying to obtain legal status in the United States.<\/p>\n
On some occasions, people paid tens of thousands of dollars to marry an American. Prosecutors say the wide-ranging alleged fraud went on for more than a decade.<\/p>\n
American citizens were paid thousands of dollars to marry Chinese nationals who wanted to obtain green cards and a path to U.S. citizenship<\/p>\n
Justice officials described it as a sweeping fraud scheme that resulted in hundreds of sham marriages.<\/p>\n
“The defendants made enormous sums of money for themselves,” said Jamie McDonald, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York. “We believe this network took in tens of millions of dollars over its decade-long operation, making it one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.”<\/p>\n
The indictment charges 11 people from the metropolitan area with various roles in the alleged scheme.<\/p>\n
“Foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as approximately $100,000 for assistance in obtaining a sham marriage and applying for a green card,” the indictment said. “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… to create the appearance of a legitimate wedding.”<\/p>\n
The marriages allegedly included an odd prenuptial clause, stipulating that husband and wife would live separate lives and have nothing to do with one another.<\/p>\n
“They recruited U.S. citizens to engage in sham marriages, arranged sham wedding ceremonies complete with officiants, wedding attire, photographers and attendees,” McDonald said. “And once a foreign national obtained a green card, they arranged for a divorce.”<\/p>\n
The 11 people arrested are being arraigned in White Plains. If they are convicted, they face up to 10 years in federal prison.<\/p>\n
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