US charges 11 over alleged decade-long sham marriage network involving 1,000+ weddings and Chinese nationals
US authorities have charged 11 people over an alleged decade-long network that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages, mainly involving Chinese nationals, to fraudulently secure US lawful permanent resident status.
- Eleven people face charges over an alleged decade-long network arranging more than 1,000 sham marriages.
- Foreign nationals allegedly paid up to US$100,000, while US citizens received as much as US$30,000.
- Authorities said hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications were submitted and described the operation as one of the largest prosecuted.
The US Department of Justice has charged 11 people over an alleged nationwide and international marriage fraud network that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages to help foreign nationals, primarily Chinese citizens, obtain lawful permanent resident status.
The defendants were arrested on 12 August and are expected to be arraigned the same day, according to the department.
The indictment was filed in New York and alleges that the network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026.
Authorities described the case as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in US history.
The network was principally based in New York City but allegedly arranged sham marriages across the United States and overseas.
The alleged operations extended to Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, as well as Vanuatu and China, according to the indictment.
How the alleged network operated
According to prosecutors, foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status paid facilitators as much as US$100,000 for sham marriages and assistance with their immigration applications.
Participating US citizens allegedly received up to US$30,000, generally through instalments linked to milestones in the Green Card application process.
Recruiters could receive commissions of as much as US$5,000 for each US citizen recruited.
The defendants and their alleged co-conspirators recruited hundreds of US citizens to participate in marriages that were purportedly designed to appear genuine, prosecutors said.
The network allegedly involved several layers of participants.
Facilitators identified foreign-national customers and oversaw the operation, while recruiters found US citizens willing to participate.
Assistants allegedly prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated submissions to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The network also allegedly relied on marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers and other service providers.
Staged evidence and immigration applications
The indictment alleges that some participants met for the first time shortly before obtaining a marriage licence. Sham wedding ceremonies were then arranged, including ceremonies held outside the United States.
Authorities said participants also staged photographs to make the marriages appear legitimate.
In some cases, photographs depicted supposed families at restaurants or other locations after the wedding.
The alleged network went further by manufacturing supporting evidence for immigration applications. This included opening joint financial and utility accounts, filing joint tax returns and obtaining insurance policies.
Participants allegedly submitted Green Card applications containing materially false statements. Where USCIS interviews were required, the indictment alleges that marriage participants were coached to conceal the nature of their relationships.
Prosecutors said the network caused at least hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications and supporting documents to be submitted to USCIS.
Based on the alleged scale and duration of the operation, authorities said the network is believed to have collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status.
Army personnel allegedly recruited
The indictment also alleges that four defendants conspired to recruit at least 14 active members of the US Army to enter into sham marriages with foreign nationals.
The alleged participants included 11 Chinese citizens, according to the indictment. The allegation adds a military dimension to a case otherwise centred on immigration fraud and the manipulation of marriage-based immigration procedures.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the operation represented an organised effort to exploit the US immigration system.
“This Department of Justice is rooting out fraud everywhere — including in our immigration system,” Blanche said.
He added that the defendants allegedly orchestrated schemes to obtain citizenship for foreign nationals through sham marriages and said such activity would not be tolerated under the Trump administration.
Officials respond to arrests
US Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York described the alleged operation as a multimillion-dollar scheme that used participants to exploit US immigration laws for profit.
McDonald said the arrests had dismantled what authorities regarded as a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in US history.
Joseph B. Edlow, director of USCIS, said the agency was pursuing marriage fraud schemes and the criminal organisations and alleged ringleaders involved.
John Condon, acting executive associate director of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), said the alleged network had turned marriage fraud into what he described as an international business model.
The case is being investigated by HSI Hudson Valley, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Safe Streets Task Force, the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate, the US Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Searches and charges
Law enforcement agencies executed search warrants at multiple locations in New York when the defendants were arrested, including sites in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens.
The 11 defendants named in the indictment are 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; and Xiao Yan Chen, also known as Anna.
The others are Gang Zheng, also known as Michael and Mike; Anthony Cheng; Michelle Duenas; Angela Duenas; Sigrid Cetino; and Erika Johnson. Their ages range from 26 to 72.
Each defendant faces one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud. A conviction on that charge carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
Each also faces one count of conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison if convicted.
The defendants are represented in the indictment as accused participants, rather than convicted offenders. The Justice Department said an indictment contains accusations and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Immigration crackdown backdrop
The charges come as the Trump administration pursues broader restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration.
The administration has made immigration enforcement a central policy priority, while also challenging the scope of citizenship rights under the US Constitution.
On 6 August, Trump signed two executive orders in another attempt to restrict birthright citizenship, again challenging a constitutional provision despite the Supreme Court having previously rejected an earlier effort.
Limiting birthright citizenship has been among the administration’s immigration priorities, including its focus on what the White House describes as “birth tourism”, in which pregnant foreign nationals travel to the United States to give birth.
The marriage fraud case concerns a separate pathway to lawful immigration, but the arrests place the prosecution within the administration’s broader effort to increase scrutiny of immigration applications and enforcement.
