Over 1,000 sham marriages allegedly arranged for Chinese nationals in US

WASHINGTON, Aug 14: The US Justice Department has unsealed a two-count indictment charging 11 people for allegedly operating a criminal network that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages to help foreign nationals bypass US immigration laws.

According to the indictment, the network operated from 2016 through July 2026 and primarily helped Chinese citizens obtain fraudulent permanent residency. Some customers reportedly paid as much as $100,000 for fake marriages, while US citizens recruited to participate received around $30,000.

The alleged scheme operated across Connecticut, Florida and Georgia, as well as in China and Vanuatu, and involved marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers and other service providers. Participants allegedly staged wedding ceremonies and photographs and created fake joint bank accounts, insurance policies and tax returns to make the marriages appear genuine.

The defendants are also accused of coaching participants to provide false answers during immigration interviews. All 11 face charges of conspiracy to commit marriage and immigration fraud and encouraging unlawful residence, with combined maximum penalties of up to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Attorney General Todd Blanche called the scheme a “deliberate affront” to US immigration laws, while US Attorney Jamie McDonald described the arrests as dismantling a central part of what prosecutors called one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in US history.