United States authorities have charged six women over an alleged marriage fraud scheme that arranged fake marriages between American citizens and undocumented immigrants seeking legal immigration status.
The US Department of Justice said the defendants allegedly operated the scheme in Massachusetts for more than a decade, charging immigrants between $38,000 and $40,000 for each sham marriage.
The alleged ringleader, Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, Massachusetts, is accused of organising the marriages and paying American citizens to marry immigrants so they could fraudulently obtain legal residency.
The other defendants are Erica Daniels, 29, Chreise Alejandro, 39, Amara Pugh, 31, Jessica Tavares, 31, and Jaylin Hill, 26. Five were arrested on Wednesday, while Hill is serving a state prison sentence for a firearms offence.
According to court documents, Gonzalez allegedly arranged between 18 and 20 fraudulent marriages annually, earning hundreds of thousands of dollars each year. She is also accused of instructing clients to create the appearance of genuine relationships by opening joint bank accounts, obtaining life insurance policies and taking photographs together.
Prosecutors said participants also received payments to maintain the appearance of legitimate marriages, while some allegedly submitted false information on applications for federal food assistance.
Gonzalez is further accused of spending more than $120,000 in food assistance benefits while operating the scheme and using its proceeds to invest in businesses and real estate in the Dominican Republic.
The defendants face charges including conspiracy to harbour undocumented immigrants, harbouring undocumented immigrants, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud.
The charges of marriage fraud and conspiracy to commit marriage fraud each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison, while harbouring undocumented immigrants and conspiracy to do so each carry a maximum sentence of 10 years.
The investigation is ongoing. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
