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.
Fact check: Trump claims no autism cases among unvaccinated Amish children
Breaking: SCOTUS Gives Trump’s Ballroom Construction the Green Light
Bryan Kohberger’s new lawyer says key questions may soon get answers in court
Vance hosts members from Michigan synagogue attack at rally after el Sayed apology
Vance unloads on El-Sayed after Usha swipe with brutal warning: ‘Way out of your league’
Trump’s White House ballroom construction gets another lifeline from SCOTUS amid heated legal fight
The Fight Against Globalism Is Local: Why Americans Are Fighting Flock Cameras and Data Centers
Democratic Socialists of America Embroiled in ‘Civil War’ Over Future as AOC Is Slammed for ‘Consistent Pattern of Opportunism’
Dem Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Attempts to Cover Up His Past Comments About 9/11
Trump admin revives ‘Apprentice’-era energy with $1M business battle in DC
El-Sayed torched online after brushing off questions about Hasan Piker campaign ties: ‘What a pal’
US Fish and Wildlife Service officer dies during wildfire evacuation efforts in Oklahoma, agency says
Kalshi bans George Santos for life over State of the Union price manipulations
Rahm Emanuel Disavows Far-Left Socialists, Says They’re Not ‘Part of the Democratic Party’
Gunman ID’d in Slaughter of 8 Family Members at Sunday Dinner As Disturbing Motive Comes Into Focus
“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.
Fact check: Trump claims no autism cases among unvaccinated Amish children
Breaking: SCOTUS Gives Trump’s Ballroom Construction the Green Light
Bryan Kohberger’s new lawyer says key questions may soon get answers in court
Vance hosts members from Michigan synagogue attack at rally after el Sayed apology
Vance unloads on El-Sayed after Usha swipe with brutal warning: ‘Way out of your league’
Trump’s White House ballroom construction gets another lifeline from SCOTUS amid heated legal fight
The Fight Against Globalism Is Local: Why Americans Are Fighting Flock Cameras and Data Centers
Democratic Socialists of America Embroiled in ‘Civil War’ Over Future as AOC Is Slammed for ‘Consistent Pattern of Opportunism’
Dem Senate Candidate Abdul El-Sayed Attempts to Cover Up His Past Comments About 9/11
Trump admin revives ‘Apprentice’-era energy with $1M business battle in DC
El-Sayed torched online after brushing off questions about Hasan Piker campaign ties: ‘What a pal’
US Fish and Wildlife Service officer dies during wildfire evacuation efforts in Oklahoma, agency says
Kalshi bans George Santos for life over State of the Union price manipulations
Rahm Emanuel Disavows Far-Left Socialists, Says They’re Not ‘Part of the Democratic Party’
Gunman ID’d in Slaughter of 8 Family Members at Sunday Dinner As Disturbing Motive Comes Into Focus
“Marriage fraud is a serious crime,” USCIS Houston District Director Tony Bryson said in a statement Monday. “This indictment reveals how successful our working relationships are with our law enforcement and intelligence partners when it comes to investigating marriage fraud. USCIS remains steadfast in our commitment to ensuring national security, public safety and the integrity of the immigration system.”
Story cited here.
