11 charged for alleged sham marriages to help Chinese nationals get green cards
The Justice Department unveiled criminal charges alleging 11 people participated in a scheme that involved more than 1,000 "sham marriages" between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens.
The Justice Department has charged 11 individuals with involvement in a vast marriage fraud scheme, spanning from 2016 to 2026, according to a 21-page indictment from the Southern District of New York. The defendants, Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, and Gang Zheng, orchestrated the fraudulent marriages to aid Chinese nationals in obtaining green cards in the United States.
The scheme was promoted through word of mouth, social media, and various advertisements, primarily targeting Chinese citizens. Participants paid up to $100,000 for assistance in arranging sham marriages, with facilitators earning about $5,000 in commissions. The indictment includes photos of sham marriage ceremonies held at restaurants, where participants dressed in traditional Chinese attire to appear legitimate.
Recruiters allegedly conducted these marriages across the U.S. and internationally, including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.
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