US charges 11 in sham marriage scheme that helped Chinese nationals get green cards

The U.S. Department of Justice has charged 11 individuals in connection with a long-running scheme that used fraudulent marriages to help hundreds of Chinese nationals obtain green cards. Officials announced the charges on Wednesday, describing the operation as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.

According to court documents, the defendants recruited American citizens to enter into bogus marriages with immigrants who were seeking lawful permanent resident status. The U.S. citizens were paid as much as $30,000 for their participation, while the immigrants were charged up to $100,000 per green card. Over the course of the decade-long scheme, authorities believe the group arranged more than 1,000 sham weddings and generated tens of millions of dollars.

Attorney General Todd Blanche said the operation was not a quick or casual endeavor but a "yearslong, multimillion-dollar cottage industry" designed to help people who could not legally become U.S. citizens. He added that such schemes undermine the country's ability to control who enters and remains in the United States.

The indictment, filed in New York, names 11 defendants, including some who allegedly officiated the fake ceremonies. The group is accused of staging weddings and even taking photos of supposed families at restaurants to make the marriages appear genuine. They then helped the immigrants navigate the green card application process.

The charges come amid the Trump administration's broader efforts to restrict both legal and illegal immigration. It was not immediately known whether the defendants have legal representation.