Washington — The Justice Department announced charges against 11 individuals on Wednesday for their roles in a marriage fraud scheme. This operation involved over 1,000 fraudulent marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens.
The detailed 21-page indictment, filed in New York’s Southern District, claims the scheme spanned from 2016 to 2026. Key figures in this operation include Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, and Gang Zheng.
According to the indictment, the sham marriages aimed to help Chinese nationals secure green cards. The accused used methods like word of mouth, social media, and advertising to promote illicit immigration services. These services were primarily marketed to Chinese nationals, with promises of arranging fake marriages to secure permanent residency in the U.S.
“Foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as $100,000 for help with obtaining a sham marriage and Green Card application,” the indictment revealed.
Facilitators reportedly earned commissions of around $5,000 per arrangement. The indictment also features photographs of supposed sham wedding ceremonies, which the defendants allegedly used to support immigration applications.
Some ceremonies took place at restaurants where participants dressed in traditional Chinese wedding clothing. Friends and family were invited to these events to create a semblance of legitimacy.
While many recruiters operated within New York, the marriages extended across the U.S. and reached locations like Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.