US charges 11 over sham marriages involving Chinese nationals and American soldiers

Federal prosecutors have indicted 11 individuals for their roles in a decade-long scheme involving over 1,000 sham marriages, primarily orchestrated by Chinese nationals seeking green cards. At least 11 American soldiers, stationed at a Kentucky Army base, were matched with Chinese citizens in a scheme that ran from May 2023 to August 2025, according to a 21-page indictment unsealed in a New York federal court on Wednesday.

The soldiers were recruited by an unnamed co-conspirator, with six reportedly traveling to New York City to participate in sham weddings. An alleged facilitator and recruiter traveled from New York to Kentucky and Tennessee to arrange the remaining marriages. The US Army Criminal Investigation Division is among the agencies probing the case.

The defendants operated a nationwide and international network, matching foreign nationals primarily from China with Americans willing to pay up to $100,000 for a sham marriage. The scheme allegedly collected millions of dollars between 2016 and July 2025. Ten defendants were arrested and are set to appear before a federal magistrate judge in White Plains, New York, while the remaining defendant remains at large.

The charges pertain to obtaining lawful permanent residency, or green cards, rather than citizenship. US Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the case is serious, describing it as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history. The network provided services to participants, including officiants, wedding attire, photographers, and guests for staged ceremonies.

Some couples staged their weddings on the same day at restaurants, sometimes dressing in traditional Chinese attire to create the appearance of a genuine marriage. The network allegedly operated across several states and internationally, targeting a wide range of participants.