What appeared to be a trip to the altar was in fact a trip to the immigration office to snag a green card, the Department of Justice announced Wednesday.
The DOJ said it busted 11 people it claims ran a fake marriage racket for more than 10 years that produced more than 1,000 sham marriages and substantial profit for the operators of the fraud, according to a Department of Justice news release.
The indictment said those charged “operated a nationwide and international marriage fraud network that arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals — primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China — and United States citizens.”
“This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a years-long, multimillion-dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said, according to Fox News.
“After the married couples would visit a local office affiliated with the scheme, sign forms for submission to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, learn about the USCIS interview process to apply for a green card, they would then execute prenuptial agreements, which, not surprisingly — given the allegation these were sham marriages — waived their rights to share in the other’s estate upon death,” he said.
“We believe this network took in tens of millions of dollars over its decade-long operation, making it one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history,” Jamie McDonald, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, said.
McDonald said officials are still deciding whether to go after the green cards of those who got them through the scheme.
He noted that the marriages did not last long.
“Once a foreign national obtained a green card, they arranged for a divorce,” McDonald said, according to WABC-TV.
“Anyone willing to lie, cheat or steal their way to legal immigration status is a direct threat to America’s national security,” Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services said, according to the DOJ release.
“Schemes like this are a deliberate affront to the United States and our laws and will not be tolerated under the Trump Administration,” Blanche said.
🚨@AGToddBlanche announces the unsealing of an indictment charging 11 defendants with conspiring (over the course of more than a decade) to orchestrate more than 1,000 sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status for foreign nationals, primarily citizens of China. ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LxidrYiNmu
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept) August 12, 2026
The individuals arrested included Amy Cheng, also known as “Amy Zhou,” 72, of Brooklyn; Xiao Mei Chan, also known as “Carmen,” 64, of Queens; Christine Lu, also known as “Lily,” 52, of Queens; Jing Yan Ye, also known as “Serene,” 43, of Staten Island; Xiao Yan Chen, also known as “Anna,” 48, of Brooklyn; Gang Zheng, also known as “Michael” and “Mike,” 61, of Queens; Anthony Cheng, 47, of Staten Island; Michelle Duenas, 35, of Staten Island; Angela Duenas, 26, of Staten Island; Sigrid Cetino, 32, of Peekskill, New York; and Erika Johnson, 43, of Ossining, New York.
The defendants have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud and one count of conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.
The scheme took root in 2016. Although focused on the New York City area, it arranged sham marriages in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.
“The network included facilitators who oversaw the scheme and identified foreign-national customers; recruiters who found willing United States citizens and helped ensure their continued participation; and assistants who prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated the submission of fraudulent lawful permanent residency (Green Card) applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The scheme also relied on marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers,” the release said.
U.S. citizens who participated in the scheme could make up to $30,000.
The foreign nationals and U.S. citizens would meet, get a marriage license, have a ceremony complete with photos, and build upon that fakery by opening joint accounts and filing joint tax returns to make the marriages appear legitimate.
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