Six Charged Over Alleged $40,000 Sham Marriage Scheme in US

Six people in Massachusetts, United States, have been charged over an alleged scheme involving sham marriages between undocumented immigrants and US citizens to fraudulently obtain legal immigration status.

The US Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts disclosed the charges in a statement sighted by PUNCH Online on Thursday.

According to the statement, the alleged scheme was led by 43-year-old Jennifer Gonzalez, who reportedly operated the business for more than 10 years and made millions of dollars from the arrangements.

“The organisation’s leader has allegedly been orchestrating sham marriages for illegal aliens to enable them to fraudulently obtain immigration status for over 10 years and has made millions of dollars doing so,” the statement said.

The other defendants are Erica Daniels, 29; Chreise Alejandro, 39; Amara Pugh, 31; Jessica Tavares, 31; and Jaylin Hill, 26. Five of the defendants are from Fall River, while Hill is from Attleboro.

Court documents allege that Gonzalez arranged the marriages and paid Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares and Hill, all US citizens, to marry undocumented immigrants. Pugh allegedly served as the secretary of the operation.

The scheme reportedly arranged between 18 and 20 sham marriages annually, charging between $38,000 and $40,000 for each arrangement.

The statement said, “Gonzalez’s operation allegedly averages approximately 18 to 20 illegal marriages per year, typically charging between $38,000 to $40,000 per sham marriage.”

Investigators further alleged that Gonzalez instructed clients on how to make the marriages appear genuine. These measures reportedly included opening joint bank accounts, purchasing life insurance policies and taking photographs together as married couples.

According to the statement, investigators recorded Gonzalez accepting a $3,000 cash deposit and directing the preparation of a disguised loan contract intended to conceal the alleged fraudulent arrangement.

“Gonzalez allegedly told the customer that the contract intentionally avoided mentioning the spouse because doing so would be ‘incriminating,’ and that she designed the documents to conceal the fraudulent purpose,” the statement added.

Customers allegedly made additional monthly payments of $500 to their assigned spouses or people close to them to sustain the sham marriages.

The allegations form the basis of the charges against the six defendants. The claims have not been established as convictions.