US busts sham marriage ring behind 1,000 fake unions, arrests 11

Eleven individuals were arrested on Wednesday for orchestrating hundreds of sham marriages aimed at enabling foreigners to gain U.S. residency, primarily Chinese nationals, according to officials. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that this is "one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history," emphasizing that it protects both physical borders and combats immigration fraud, a method to circumvent U.S. immigration laws.

Chinese nationals were willing to pay up to $100,000 (RM409,000) for a sham marriage with a U.S. citizen, granting them the opportunity to apply for a green card, which provides the right to reside and work in the U.S. The American spouse would receive up to $30,000 for the marriage. Blanche explained that this scheme was not a fleeting operation but had been a "years-long, multi-million-dollar cottage industry" to assist people who could not legally become U.S. citizens.

Among the 11 arrested were ten naturalized U.S. citizens, originally from China, and one green card holder. Jamie McDonald, U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, revealed that the defendants, along with unidentified co-conspirators, orchestrated over 1,000 sham marriages over a decade. They recruited U.S. citizens to participate in sham marriages, arranging ceremonies with officiants, attire, photographers, and attendees.

The defendants made substantial profits, believed to have reached tens of millions of dollars from the ten-year operation. They have been charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, each carrying a maximum penalty of five and ten years in prison, respectively.