NEW YORK, Aug. 13 (DC Times Online) — Federal prosecutors in New York have charged 11 people with allegedly arranging more than 1,000 sham marriages over more than a decade, in what the Justice Department described as one of the largest marriage-fraud schemes charged in U.S. history.
The Justice Department announced the unsealed indictment and the arrests on Aug. 12, 2026. Attorney General Todd Blanche discussed the case at a news conference in Washington, D.C. The prosecution was brought in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.
The defendants are Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, Christine Lu, Jing Yan Ye, Xiao Yan Chen, Gang Zheng, Anthony Cheng, Michelle Duenas, Angela Duenas, Sigrid Cetino and Erika Johnson. Each is charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, as well as conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of noncitizens in the United States.
The charges are accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. The materials available do not identify pleas, defense statements, an assigned judge or the outcome of any arraignments.
What prosecutors allege
According to the indictment summary released by the Justice Department, the network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026. It was based mainly in New York City but allegedly arranged marriages across the United States and overseas.
The locations identified by prosecutors include Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu and China.
Prosecutors allege that Chinese nationals paid facilitators as much as about $100,000 for a sham marriage and help applying for lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as a green card. U.S. citizens who agreed to participate allegedly received up to about $30,000, usually in payments tied to stages of the immigration application. Recruiters allegedly received up to $5,000 for each U.S. citizen they recruited.
The Justice Department said the network collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking permanent residence. The indictment alleges that at least hundreds of fraudulent green-card applications and supporting documents were submitted to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
How an alleged sham marriage scheme works
Marriage fraud occurs when people marry to evade immigration laws rather than to establish a genuine marital relationship. Marriage itself is not illegal when entered into for legitimate reasons, but using a marriage to obtain an immigration benefit can lead to criminal charges.
The indictment alleges that the defendants and other participants tried to make the marriages appear real. Prosecutors say the network used advertising and social media to find participants and arranged wedding-related photographs or ceremonies. It also allegedly created joint accounts and other records designed to support the applications.
The materials describe a system involving foreign-national customers, U.S. citizens recruited as spouses, recruiters, facilitators and people who prepared immigration documents. They do not establish the specific role allegedly played by each of the 11 defendants.
Why the case is being called unusually large
The Justice Department says the alleged network arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages and operated for at least 10 years. Blanche called it “one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history.”
That description is an official characterization, not a formal ranking based on a published comparison of all previous cases. The precise number of marriages is not provided beyond the indictment’s description of more than 1,000. The available materials also do not say how many applications were approved, how many marriages resulted in green cards or how many other participants may remain unidentified or uncharged.
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald, whose office is prosecuting the case, said the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators operated a nationwide and international, multimillion-dollar scheme that used participants to violate immigration laws for profit.
What happens next
The case will proceed in federal court in the Southern District of New York. Prosecutors must prove each charge beyond a reasonable doubt, and the defendants will have the opportunity to challenge the allegations.
Each count carries a different potential maximum penalty. The conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison if a defendant is convicted. The conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of noncitizens carries a maximum sentence of 10 years if convicted.
The Justice Department has not announced a final outcome in the case.
