Massachusetts Marriage Fraud Ring Charges Six People
Federal authorities charge six individuals in a large-scale marriage fraud scheme in Massachusetts.
2 min read
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has charged six individuals in a large-scale marriage fraud scheme involving illegal aliens and U.S. citizens in Massachusetts. The alleged scheme, which spanned over a decade, involved orchestrating sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status for illegal aliens, with one individual allegedly making millions of dollars in the process.
Alleged Scheme and Charges
Jennifer Gonzales, a U.S. citizen, is accused of being the mastermind behind the scheme, arranging sham marriages for illegal aliens for over a decade. According to court documents, Gonzales charged between $38,000 and $40,000 per marriage and arranged 18 to 20 sham marriages annually, resulting in an estimated $6 million in illegal profits.
The DOJ stated that Gonzales ran a business where illegal aliens paid her to arrange sham marriages, enabling them to submit fraudulent documents to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to gain legal immigration status. U.S. citizens such as Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares, and Hill were allegedly paid to participate in these sham marriages, while Pugh served as the business’s “secretary.”
The defendants took photos of the sham weddings to use when applying for immigration status.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley for @DMANews1: “The alleged mastermind behind this marriage fraud scheme is Jennifer Gonzales, a United States citizen who was allegedly responsible for fraudulently arranging sham marriages in Massachusetts for over a decade. Gonzales allegedly charged between $38,000 and $40,000 per marriage and arranged 18 to 20 sham marriages per year for over 10 years. On the low end, this conspiracy netted her $6 MILLION during the course of the alleged scam.”
The charges include harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, marriage fraud, and conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Each charge carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison for harboring illegal aliens and up to five years in prison for marriage fraud, along with fines and supervised release.
Six individuals in Massachusetts have been charged with allegedly arranging sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status for illegal aliens. The organization’s leader has allegedly been orchestrating sham marriages for illegal aliens to enable them to fraudulently obtain immigration status for OVER 10 years and has made millions of dollars doing so.
Source: The Gateway Pundit
