Eleven people, including two from Westchester County, have been charged in an alleged nationwide marriage fraud scheme that prosecutors say orchestrated more than 1,000 sham marriages over more than a decade to help foreign nationals obtain lawful permanent resident status in the United States.
The two-count indictment was unsealed Wednesday in the Southern District of New York. Federal authorities said 10 of the defendants were arrested Wednesday morning and were expected to be arraigned in federal court in White Plains.
According to prosecutors, the network was based primarily in New York City but arranged sham marriages across the United States and overseas, including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia,
Florida, Vanuatu and China.
Foreign nationals allegedly paid facilitators as much as $100,000 for sham marriages and assistance obtaining lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as a green card. U.S. citizens who agreed to participate allegedly received as much as $30,000.
Westchester residents among those charged
The defendants include:
- Sigrid Cetino, 32, of Peekskill
- Erika Johnson, 43, of Ossining
- Amy Cheng, 72, of Brooklyn
- Xiao Mei Chan, 64, of Queens
- Christine Lu, 52, of Queens
- Jing Yan Ye, 43, of Staten Island
- Xiao Yan Chen, 48, of Brooklyn
- Gang Zheng, 61, of Queens
- Anthony Cheng, 47, of Staten Island
- Michelle Duenas, 35, of Staten Island
- Angela Duenas, 26, of Staten Island
Prosecutors allege elaborate immigration fraud
The indictment alleges the network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026 and primarily arranged marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens.
Prosecutors said facilitators identified foreign-national customers and recruited U.S. citizens willing to participate in sham marriages. Assistants allegedly prepared immigration paperwork and helped submit fraudulent applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The operation also allegedly relied on recruiters and other participants to make the marriages appear legitimate. Recruiters could receive commissions of up to $5,000 for each U.S. citizen they recruited.
Prosecutors said the network is believed to have generated tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking permanent residency in the United States.
Couples allegedly staged evidence to appear legitimate
According to the indictment, some participants met for the first time shortly before obtaining a marriage license or participating in a wedding ceremony.
Prosecutors allege the defendants arranged staged wedding ceremonies and photographs intended to make the marriages appear legitimate. Participants also allegedly created joint financial and utility accounts, filed joint tax returns and obtained insurance policies to manufacture evidence of genuine relationships.
The indictment further alleges participants were coached on how to answer questions from immigration officials and conceal the fraudulent nature of their relationships.
Authorities said the scheme resulted in hundreds of fraudulent green card applications and supporting documents being submitted to USCIS.
Defendants face federal charges
Each defendant is charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison upon conviction.
They also are charged with conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison upon conviction.
The investigation involves Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, USCIS, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: 11 charged in alleged sham marriage scheme involving 1,000-plus marriages
