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.

Trump’s spy chiefs put Republican leaders on the clock over ‘huge priority’ as power shift looms over Congress

The mistake newly-elected Dems admit they can’t afford to make with Trump after sweeping 2026 wins

Mamdani Set to Disband NYPD’s Counterterrorism and Protest Response Unit: Report

Fact Check: No, Guard Did Not Yell at Hegseth at Tomb of the Unknown Soldier – Just Watch Raw Video and Listen

Rubio’s next move? Lawyers eye speech of ‘visionary’ leader for 2028 clues after GOP’s midterm wipeout

Empire State Building climbers face deportation fears after attorney claims plea deal fell apart

Schumer’s Senate leadership fight intensifies as key progressive backs challenger and more top headlines

Tough Guy Viciously Attacks Family Over Christian Tract in Halloween Candy, Then Becomes Total Coward When Internet Tracks Him Down

Huge GOP election losses spur debates about populist economics

Jeffries shredded over Hegseth impeachment snafu as Dem jockeys for speaker’s gavel

Three-quarters of House members seeking statewide office lost

In Haiti, Bukele cracks down where UN failed

Pence leaves door open to 2028 White House run, issues stark warning to GOP after midterm disaster

Couple accused of killing registered sex offender in pre-planned stabbing in Arizona desert

Newsom reveals when he’ll decide on 2028 White House bid amid growing speculation

“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.