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.

DNA Links Grizzly Bear Mom and Her Cubs to Fatal Mother-Daughter Mauling – All 4 Bears Hunted Down and Killed

Cape-Wearing Leftist Arrested at Texas University for Allegedly Striking 3 with Cane at TPUSA Event

Suspected DUI driver arrested on 3 murder counts after deadly North Hollywood crash, police say

Twice-deported United cockpit suspect granted asylum after transgender persecution claim: DHS

Illegal immigrant arrested after dragging, striking ICE officer in Chicago suburb: DHS

Jeffries leaves door open to investigating major Trump ally as Democrats prepare to take power

At least 10 new Dem members will carry Al Green’s mantle and try to impeach President Trump

House Freedom Caucus Member Unloads on Fellow Republicans After Midterm Debacle: ‘Nobody Listened to Us!’

Dems projected to score historic upset in deep-red Mississippi, topple Trump ally Hyde-Smith

Latest Ballot Drop Pushes Dem Challenger Over Combined Dan Sullivans’ Votes in AK Senate Race

GOP holdouts complicate Trump’s final chances to reshape US courts

Longtime GOP leader faces uncertain future after Jim Jordan wins House leadership fight

Stephen Miller’s internal memo unleashes Trump agencies after ‘absolute control’ under Wiles’ reign

Foreign spy ‘honeytraps’ targeting America’s tech elite spark alarm amid Nvidia CEO scandal

Russia’s Ambassador to the US Dies ‘Suddenly’ Per Country’s Foreign Ministry

“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.