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.
My Brother’s Teacher Told Him to ‘Draw What Brings You Most Joy’: Since His Answer Was the Cross, It Wasn’t Allowed
British Christian Nurse Accused of ‘Misgendering’ a Patient Cleared of Consequences
Radical activist groups circle wagons around Southern Poverty Law Center amid federal charges
US turns to drones after retiring minesweepers to reopen Strait of Hormuz amid Iran crisis
DC murder rate sees astonishing turnaround as Trump team credits federal crackdown
US military kills two suspected narco-terrorists in strike on drug-trafficking vessel in the Pacific
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: UCLA mob mess, veiled threats of violence and a major win over DEI
NFL Legend and Hall of Famer Abruptly Hospitalized, Lawyer and Friend Issues Update
Trump Admin Throws Out Obama-Era Gender Rule in Favor of ‘What the Lord Established from the Beginning’
Florida Dem filed for re-election days before resignation as House Ethics Committee ramped up pressure
Poll Shows Young People Fleeing Major Dem City Due to Cost of Living, Safety, And Jobs
NANNY STATE: UK Slaps Nation’s Youth with Permanent Lifetime Smoking Ban
Grinning suspect cuffed after alleged fiery street takeover, drag race caught on camera
Texas substitute teacher accused of improper relationship with student, alarming parents
DHS blames ‘weak’ Biden border policies after piracy-linked Somali illegal immigrant nabbed at northern border
“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.
My Brother’s Teacher Told Him to ‘Draw What Brings You Most Joy’: Since His Answer Was the Cross, It Wasn’t Allowed
British Christian Nurse Accused of ‘Misgendering’ a Patient Cleared of Consequences
Radical activist groups circle wagons around Southern Poverty Law Center amid federal charges
US turns to drones after retiring minesweepers to reopen Strait of Hormuz amid Iran crisis
DC murder rate sees astonishing turnaround as Trump team credits federal crackdown
US military kills two suspected narco-terrorists in strike on drug-trafficking vessel in the Pacific
Fox News Campus Radicals Newsletter: UCLA mob mess, veiled threats of violence and a major win over DEI
NFL Legend and Hall of Famer Abruptly Hospitalized, Lawyer and Friend Issues Update
Trump Admin Throws Out Obama-Era Gender Rule in Favor of ‘What the Lord Established from the Beginning’
Florida Dem filed for re-election days before resignation as House Ethics Committee ramped up pressure
Poll Shows Young People Fleeing Major Dem City Due to Cost of Living, Safety, And Jobs
NANNY STATE: UK Slaps Nation’s Youth with Permanent Lifetime Smoking Ban
Grinning suspect cuffed after alleged fiery street takeover, drag race caught on camera
Texas substitute teacher accused of improper relationship with student, alarming parents
DHS blames ‘weak’ Biden border policies after piracy-linked Somali illegal immigrant nabbed at northern border
“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.
