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.

Tyler Robinson Accused of Sending ‘Mocking’ Message with His Choice of Tie in First Court Appearance

Another One: Foreign National With New York CDL Kills Man in Tennessee Crash, Could Not Read English

Latest batch of Epstein files show photos with Trump, Bill Clinton, Larry Summers, and Steve Bannon

Husted files for 2026 Senate race, launching aggressive statewide re-election push

Trump’s green light for Nvidia sales to China sparks alarm on Capitol Hill

E. Jean Carroll’s DNA refusal tainted verdict against Trump, allies tell Supreme Court

LGBT Mafia Pounces on NFL Star After He Uses ‘Slur’ in Postgame Interview

Stephen Miller Sounds Alarm Over Share of Somalis Using Welfare in Minnesota

Extreme sports star lashes out at Newsom for killing the California dream: ‘What happened?’

ICE arrests criminal illegal immigrant accused of fleeing head-on crash that severely injured Maryland woman

FBI investigating more than 350 subjects tied to violent online ‘764’ network

Chris Cuomo Cannot Remember Recent History, Needs to Be Reminded About Obama Admin’s Illegal Behavior When Berating Conservative

Whistleblower warns massive fraud is happening in Ohio Somali community, Minnesota ‘just tip of the spear’

Miscarriage of Justice: For 2nd Time in One Week a Virginia Grand Jury Has Refused to Indict Letitia James for Mortgage Fraud

Trump asks when he’ll be credited with creating ‘perhaps the Greatest Economy’ ever in US history

“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.