Federal prosecutors said Wednesday they disrupted one of the biggest marriage fraud rings in U.S. history that orchestrated more than 1,000 bogus unions over a decade in the hopes of getting green cards.

Marriage Fraud Ring Busted

Officials said the ring earned tens of millions of dollars, charging up to $100,000 to arrange sham marriages for Chinese citizens and paying up to $30,000 for Americans willing to marry them. Eleven people — 10 of them naturalized citizens and the other a legal permanent resident — were named in the newly unsealed indictment.

Authorities described the remarkable steps the outfit went to, including fabricating photos to try to make it look like wedding ceremonies were held, opening joint accounts for the so-called couples and purchasing life insurance. The goal, prosecutors said, was to create a false history to fool immigration authorities.

The outfit also would coach its customers on how to survive the scrutiny from Department of Homeland Security officials. It helped arrange prenuptial agreements that, in some cases, gave away the sham nature of the unions.

U.S. citizens were paid in installments, with the first $10,000 payment coming after the marriage and initial green card application, another $15,000 when a conditional green card arrived, and a final $5,000 payment when the migrant was granted full lawful permanent status.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said in announcing the indictment, “These schemes have real costs. They rob our country of the ability to know who should be, and who should not be, allowed into America.”

Original reporting: WMAL (Washington DC) — read the source article.