Chicago – August 13, 2026
U.S. federal prosecutors have charged 11 people over an alleged decade-long scheme that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages to help foreign nationals, primarily Chinese citizens, obtain U.S. immigration status.
According to an indictment unsealed Wednesday, organizers operated the scheme from New York and allegedly charged clients as much as $100,000 for fraudulent marriages. U.S. citizens were reportedly offered payments of up to $30,000 to marry foreign nationals for immigration purposes.
Prosecutors allege participants staged weddings, created false photographs and submitted fraudulent immigration documents to make the marriages appear genuine. The operation allegedly generated tens of millions of dollars over more than 10 years.
The defendants face federal charges related to conspiracy, marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
U.S. officials described the case as one of the largest marriage-fraud prosecutions in the country.
