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.

The Truth Behind MTG’s Resignation Date Is Exactly the Reason Why Conservatives Don’t Trust Politicians

Deep Dive: ‘Record Breaking’ Tax Refunds Expected For Americans in 2026 Thanks to ‘Big Beautiful Bill’

New Orleans not taking crime ‘seriously enough,’ says carjacking victim’s daughter as federal operation looms

Crockett Cries Racism Over Criticism of Democrat Who Colluded with Epstein Against Trump

Leaked Public School Teacher Union Training Exposes Plans to Undermine Parents, Indoctrinate Students with Gender, Race Ideology

Anna Kepner dies mysteriously during family vacation on Carnival cruise ship: Timeline of events

Doubling Down: Top House Democrat says focus on high prices ‘absolutely going to continue’

WATCH: Democrats struggle to defend Schumer after shutdown ends with few wins

North Carolina driver says bald eagle dropped cat through her windshield: ‘You may not believe me’

Multiple Chicago police officers attacked in downtown violence in which several victims were shot

It won’t get any better: Washington faces another looming government shutdown

Trump terminates deportation protections for Somali nationals living in Minnesota ‘effective immediately’

Breaking: Marjorie Taylor Greene to Resign from Congress Following Trump Feud

Texas files emergency Supreme Court petition after Trump-backed congressional map blocked by federal judges

Florida to use hundreds of confiscated Chinese drones as target practice for US military

“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.