Attorney General Todd Blanche announced indictments Wednesday against 11 people accused of operating a decade-long marriage fraud scheme to secure U.S. green cards [1].
The case highlights vulnerabilities in the federal immigration system and the scale of organized efforts to bypass legal residency requirements through financial bribery.
Based in New York City but operating nationally, the scheme allegedly targeted foreign nationals, primarily from China [2]. The defendants are accused of arranging sham marriages to help these individuals obtain permanent residency, often charging up to $100,000 per marriage [3].
Federal investigators said the operation lasted roughly a decade, running from 2016 through July 2026 [4]. During this period, the defendants orchestrated more than 1,000 sham marriages [5].
Todd Blanche said the indictments are part of a broader effort to combat immigration fraud. A Justice Department spokesperson said, "We will continue to protect the integrity of our immigration system" [6].
The indictments target the coordinators who matched U.S. citizens with foreign nationals for a fee. The scale of the operation suggests a highly organized network capable of evading detection for years while processing hundreds of fraudulent applications.
“"The defendants orchestrated more than 1,000 sham marriages"”
This prosecution signals a crackdown on high-value immigration fraud rings that commodify U.S. citizenship. By targeting the organizers who charged five-figure sums, the Justice Department is attempting to dismantle the financial incentive for sham marriages rather than focusing solely on the individual applicants.
