US charges 11 over sham marriages involving Chinese nationals and American soldiers
US prosecutors have charged 11 people over an alleged decade-long network that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages, primarily for Chinese nationals seeking green cards, including matches with at least 14 active-duty American soldiers. About 11 of the soldiers, who were stationed at a US Army base in Kentucky, were paired with Chinese citizens between May 2023 and August 2025, according to a…
United States prosecutors have indicted 11 individuals in a decade-long scheme involving over 1,000 sham marriages, primarily orchestrated by Chinese nationals seeking green cards. At least 14 American soldiers, stationed at a Kentucky Army base, were matched with Chinese citizens in the fraudulent ceremonies. The indictments, unsealed in New York, detail how the alleged co-conspirator and recruiters recruited soldiers and facilitated marriages in New York City, Kentucky, and Tennessee.
US Attorney General Todd Blanche emphasized that the investigation is ongoing and not a case of espionage. The network allegedly paid foreign nationals up to $100,000 for sham marriages and collected tens of millions of dollars in the process. Ten defendants were arrested and will appear before a federal magistrate judge in White Plains, New York, while five are described as facilitators. The scheme spanned multiple states and international locations, including Vanuatu and China.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
