Feds Bust Massive Decade Long USCIS Marriage Fraud Scheme

The defendants, arrested this morning, are expected to be arraigned today in federal court in Manhattan. The indictment, unsealed Tuesday, charges each with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, carrying up to five years in prison, and conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence, carrying up to 10 years.

According to the indictment, the network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026, with a base in New York City and reach across the United States and overseas, including China, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Vanuatu. Foreign nationals paid facilitators up to $100,000 for a sham marriage and help obtaining lawful permanent resident status. U.S. citizens recruited as spouses received up to $30,000, paid in installments tied to green card milestones, and recruiters earned commissions of up to $5,000 per citizen.

The scheme relied on a division of labor: facilitators identified foreign-national customers, recruiters found willing U.S. citizens, and assistants prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated submission of fraudulent green card applications to USCIS. The network also used marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers. Participants staged wedding ceremonies, often with couples meeting for the first time just before getting a marriage license, and manufactured evidence such as joint bank accounts, tax returns, and insurance policies to make the marriages appear genuine.

When USCIS interviews were required, the defendants coached marriage participants on how to conceal the true nature of their relationships and provide false answers. The indictment alleges the network caused hundreds of fraudulent green card applications to be submitted and collected tens of millions of dollars over the scheme's duration. At the time of the arrests, law enforcement executed search warrants in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens.

The investigation involved Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI Safe Streets Task Force, USCIS's Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake Sidransky and Reyhan Watson are prosecuting the case. The indictment contains accusations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.