Ten charged over US marriage visa scam
November 24 2009 by Liam Clifford
A fake marriage racket has been uncovered in Chicago, ten people arrested.
Ten people in Chicago have
been arrested and charged for paying American citizens to marry foreign
nationals in order to gain them US marriage visas.
Following an
investigation by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ten individuals,
including an immigration attorney, were accused of 14 counts of immigration
fraud.
According to the indictments the ten allegedly recruited US
citizens to marry foreign nationals, who were mainly Filipinos. Some 15 sham
marriages took place, with each evading US immigration laws. The accused charged
around $3,000 for the service of arranging their marriage. They would then
promise to pay the US citizens $3,000, as well as $350 a month until foreign
citizenship was granted to the spouse.
Foreigners who marry US citizens
are awarded permanent residency in the US and can eventually apply for US
citizenship.
ICE Assistant Secretary John Morton said sham marriages will
not be tolerated: "Marriage fraud poses a significant vulnerability that must
not go unchallenged. ICE aggressively investigates those who take illegal
shortcuts to citizenship, whether they do so to gain an immigration benefit or
simply for personal profit."
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