Nearly 100 Indicted, 50 In Custody After Ice Uncovers Large-Scale Marriage Fraud Scheme

Authorities indicted 96 people and arrested 50 for a marriage fraud operation allegedly taking place in Vietnam and Houston.

A months-long Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) probe uncovered a criminal operation that enabled numerous foreign nationals to fraudulently obtain legal immigration status in the U.S., according to an Immigration and Customs Enforcement press release Monday.

Under the alleged terms of conspiracy, immigrant beneficiaries would pay around $50,000 to $70,000 to get married and score permanent resident status. The marriages were complete shams, according to the April indictment.

The spouses typically met only briefly before they obtained their marriage licenses and did not live together after becoming a “married” couple. The criminal operation behind the marriages would go so far as to produce fake wedding albums and falsified tax, utility and employment information — all in an effort to convince USCIS to approve the forms.

Obama Center takes heat as critics cry foul over ID rules for free entry — while Dems blast voter ID laws

Watch: Hegseth Describes Pilot’s Miraculous Easter Rescue in Terms the Godless Biden Admin Wouldn’t Dare Utter

New poll reveals Spanberger’s popularity is plummeting amid backlash over gerrymandering

Bald-headed killer smiles as prosecutors reveal what she did before dad walked in

Tim Walz-Appointed Judge Throws Out All Charges Against Woman Accused of Interrupting Easter Service

Repeat offender with 19 felonies busted after wild caught-on-camera chase: police

Trump Says Media Leak Jeopardized Iran Rescue, Threatens Reporter with Jail

Finally: Thanks to Pete Hegseth, American Servicemen Are No Longer Sitting Ducks on Their Own Bases

Orban accuses Ukraine of terrorist plot against pipeline amid uphill election battle

Megan Rapinoe Back in the Spotlight – And Getting Torched – For Blasting Rule Protecting Women Athletes

Trump claims he’d win as the president of Venezuela — just needs to ‘quickly’ learn Spanish

Steve Daines’ handpicked Senate successor Kurt Alme vows to keep Montana in Republican hands in 2026

CIA Director Says Iran Was ‘Embarrassed’ and ‘Humiliated’ After American Rescue Mission

Woman gives birth midflight as air traffic controller suggests fitting name for baby

Trump and Hegseth lean hard on religion in post-Easter Iran press conference: ‘God is good’

“These arrests mark the culmination of a comprehensive yearlong multi-agency investigation into one of the largest alleged marriage fraud conspiracies ever documented in the Houston area,” Special HSI Agent in Charge Mark Dawson said in a Monday statement. “By working together with our partners from various federal law enforcement agencies, we have sent a resounding message that we are united in our effort to disrupt and dismantle criminal organizations that seek to circumvent U.S. law by fraudulent means.”

The indictment alleges Ashley Yen Nguyen, 53, was the leader of the criminal scheme and had operatives working throughout Texas and Vietnam.

People involved in the conspiracy allegedly recruited U.S. citizens to act as marriage petitioners, who would then receive a cut of the proceeds from the beneficiary spouses. Several people who were recruited as petitioners eventually became recruiters themselves.

Marriage fraud or conspiracy to commit marriage fraud carries a sentence of up to five years in prison. The other charges — including mail fraud, conspiracy to commit mail fraud and tampering with a witness, informant or victim — all carry the possibility of 20 years in federal prison. A federal grand jury returned the indictment on April 30.