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.

Federal appeals court blocks mailing of abortion pills in ruling with nationwide effect

57 pounds of marijuana worth $220,000 found in Maryland man and woman’s suitcase at Dulles Airport

Oregon Man Faces Lengthy Prison Sentence After Targeting Customs and Border Protection Helicopter

Trump aims to reset war powers clock with controversial bid to bypass Congress

DOJ Targets Blue State for Giving Illegals Financial Assistance While Neglecting U.S. Citizens

Black conservative unleashes on Obama for ‘constantly whining’ after SCOTUS voting rights decision

Pope Leo places former illegal immigrant in charge of red state diocese

Teen suspect in murder of two bank employees in Kentucky leads police on wild 130 mph chase

Sheriff Grady Judd names Jan. 6 participant, MAGA influencer among 266 arrested in prostitution sting

Progressive Dems Unveil ‘New Affordability Agenda,’ and It’s Just As Bad as You Might Think

Trump Declares Hostilities with Iran ‘Terminated’

Trump tells Congress on 60th day of Iran conflict: ‘Hostilities’ have ‘terminated’

Trump says UFC ‘Claw’ cage construction to begin next week at White House

Alito rips race-based claim in high-stakes migrant protections case at Supreme Court

DHS scorches Pritzker’s ‘sanctuary’ state after child rapist on ICE detainer released

“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.