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.

Fox News Poll: Democratic unity, Republican crossovers shape Ohio Senate race

Rubio warns risk of escalation in Russia-Ukraine war is ‘more real than it was two years ago’

Video: WNBA Punishes Brittney Griner for Manhandling Angel Reese in On-Court Clash

Former primary rival resurfaces to challenge scandal-plagued Graham Platner in Maine Senate race

‘A Lot of Complaints Had Been Made’: Henry Nowak’s Murderer Was Known to Cops, Had Been Arrested Previously, Never Charged

Detective arrested after allegedly pulling gun on fellow officer for microwaving fish at police station

Cold case of missing news anchor rocked by claim of confession in roadside meltdown: report

LATE BREAKING: ’60 Minutes’ Star Reporter Scott Pelley Fired After Mouthing Off to New Boss Chosen by Bari Weiss

WATCH: Rubio scorches claim Trump weighed finances in Iran decisions: ‘Not even for a millisecond’

Sex criminals, gang members abused child immigration program to enter US, DHS reveals

BREAKING VIDEO: UK Police Retreat as Brits Furious About Murder of Henry Nowak Take to Streets, Pelt Cops with Enormous Garbage Cans

Bessent clarifies threat against Bill Pulte: He said he was going to ‘kick his a**’

Aid group warns Ebola could have spread for three months before first cases were detected

Rubio grilled over Trump’s national security picks and foreign policy priorities: ‘It’s not funny, secretary’

Judge with intimate ties to Dem Party’s key Russia Hoax players behind latest anti-Trump decision

“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.