{"id":2645661,"date":"2026-08-16T08:42:00","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T12:42:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-charges-11-in-decade-long-immigration-scheme-involving-1000-sham-marriages\/"},"modified":"2026-08-16T08:44:55","modified_gmt":"2026-08-16T12:44:55","slug":"doj-charges-11-in-decade-long-immigration-scheme-involving-1000-sham-marriages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-charges-11-in-decade-long-immigration-scheme-involving-1000-sham-marriages\/","title":{"rendered":"DOJ Charges 11 in Decade-Long Immigration Scheme Involving 1,000 Sham Marriages"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">22<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fdoj-charges-11-in-decade-long-immigration-scheme-involving-1000-sham-marriages%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2645661&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The content discusses a major U.S. federal crackdown on a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/doj-busts-massive-international-sham-marriage-scheme-1000-weddings-to-fraudulently-obtain-immigration-status\/\" title=\"DOJ Busts Massive International Sham ... ..., 1,000 Weddings to &#039;Fraudulently Obtain Immigration Status&#039;\">large-scale marriage fraud scheme<\/a>, involving the operation of over 1,000 sham marriages primarily between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens from 2016 until recently. The scheme was orchestrated by an international network based in New York City, with activities extending to other states like florida, Massachusetts, and kentucky. Participants paid up to $100,000 to facilitators,while American citizens involved received payments up to $30,000 per marriage,and recruiters earned around $5,000 per recruited individual.<\/p>\n<p>The organizers used sophisticated tactics to fake genuine relationships, including quick wedding ceremonies, creating joint bank accounts, filing joint tax returns, and coaching couples for immigration interviews to simulate authenticity. The scheme aimed to exploit U.S. immigration laws for profit, with law enforcement agencies like Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, and USCIS leading the operation to dismantle it. USCIS emphasized that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/multiple-people-arrested-after-feds-uncover-massive-immigration-fraud-scheme-involving-hundreds-in-minnesota\/\" title=\"Multiple People Arrested After Feds Uncover Massive ... ... Involving Hundreds in Minnesota\">immigration fraud threatens national security<\/a> and vowed to continue exposing such illegal activities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><br \/>\n<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC \"-\/\/W3C\/\/DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional\/\/EN\" \"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/TR\/REC-html40\/loose.dtd\"><br \/>\n<?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><html><body><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>In what federal prosecutors have labeled one of the most consequential fraud prosecutions in U.S. history, a sweeping indictment has come out, charging ringleaders with operating a decade-long green card scheme. Beginning in 2016 and coming to a crashing end just last month, the international network arranged over 1,000 sham marriages between foreign nationals, the majority uniting citizens of the People\u2019s Republic of China and U.S. citizens to secure permanent residency in the States.<\/p>\n<p>According to a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/11-defendants-charged-dismantling-decade-long-nationwide-marriage-fraud-scheme\">press release<\/a> from the Department of Justice, the enterprise was based in New York City but had reached both coasts, with states like Florida, Massachusetts, and Kentucky playing host to these farce marriages.<\/p>\n<p>For foreign nationals trying to get a green card, the costs of participating in the illicit activity were steep. The recently released indictment specifies that clients paid as much as $100,000 to facilitators sham marriage packets.<\/p>\n<p>The network employed word-of-mouth tactics and social media to recruit American citizens to enter into these phony unions. These participants were paid up to $30,000, doled out in installments aligning with milestones such as signing the marriage certificate and completing USCIS interviews. Recruiters who enlisted American citizens earned nearly $5,000 per person.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >yearslong multi-million-dollar cottage industry<\/a> to criminally assist people who would not or legally could not otherwise become citizens of the United States,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/nation\/watch-ag-blanche-announces-charges-over-green-card-scheme-involving-sham-marriages\">said<\/a> Attorney General Todd Blanche during a recent news conference.<\/p>\n<p>In attempts to bypass federal scrutiny, the organizers took extreme measures to create convincing illusions of genuine relationships. With newly paired couples generally only having just met before receiving their marriage license, quick ceremonies with photographers were held to submit as evidence to immigration authorities. Additionally, organizers opened joint bank accounts and filed joint tax returns to manufacture proof of cohabitation. Coaching sessions were also mandated prior to interviews with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, with couples being coached on potential questions and being prepared to cover up the fraudulent nature of their relationships.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly operated a nationwide and international, multimillion-dollar marriage fraud scheme, using participants to abuse United States immigration laws for their own profit,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/11-defendants-charged-dismantling-decade-long-nationwide-marriage-fraud-scheme\">announced<\/a> U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York. \u201cToday\u2019s arrests have dismantled a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The bust ultimately involved efforts from several agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and USCIS\u2019s Fraud Detection and National Security unit.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph B. Edlow, director of USCIS, stressed the risks of immigration fraud, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uscis.gov\/newsroom\/news-releases\/uscis-plays-key-role-in-takedown-of-decade-long-marriage-fraud-ring\">stating<\/a>, \u201cAnyone willing to lie, cheat, or steal their way into legal immigration status is a direct threat to America\u2019s national security. USCIS will continue to expose fraud, defend the rule of law, and ensure immigration status is reserved for those who truly qualify.\u201d<\/p>\n<div><em>Zach Patton is a contributor to The Washington Stand.<\/em><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #f7f7f7; color: #171717; display: flex;font-size: 16px;font-weight: 600;line-height: 1.5;margin: 24px 0;padding: 18px 20px 18px 30px;text-align: left;\">\n<div style=\"align-self: stretch;border-left: 3px solid #171717;flex-shrink: 0;padding-left: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<p><a style=\"text-decoration: none;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.google.com\/preferences\/source?q=https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/\">Choose The Western Journal as your preferred source on Google and never miss reporting that defends truth, protects freedom, and advances Western civilization<\/a><\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey == typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts = { \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs = [ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i = 0; i < inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]] = document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display = 'block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src = firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id'] = firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting = jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display = 'none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display = 'block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/body><\/html><\/p>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Federal prosecutors have announced a major fraud case involving a decade-long green card scheme. Starting in 2016 and ending last month, the international network orchestrated over 1,000 fake marriages between foreigners and U.S. citizens to obtain permanent residency<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2645662,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1399.jpeg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[77788,64353,84250,81037,84249],"class_list":["post-2645661","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-doj-charges","tag-immigration-fraud","tag-immigration-scheme","tag-legal-crackdown","tag-sham-marriages"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/IMG_1399.jpeg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645661","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2645661"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645661\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2645665,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2645661\/revisions\/2645665"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2645662"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2645661"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2645661"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2645661"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}