The U.S. Department of Justice announced criminal charges on Wednesday against 11 individuals for their alleged involvement in a large-scale marriage fraud operation. Federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York claim the group coordinated more than 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens to bypass immigration laws. Attorney General Todd Blanche described the case as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.
A 21-page indictment alleges the scheme operated for a decade, beginning in 2016 and continuing through 2026. According to the document, the operation was facilitated by defendants Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, and Gang Zheng. The Justice Department claims the defendants marketed fraudulent immigration services through social media, advertising, and word of mouth, specifically targeting citizens of the People's Republic of China who sought lawful permanent resident status, commonly known as a green card.
The indictment states that foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as $100,000 to arrange a sham marriage and file the necessary immigration paperwork. The facilitators reportedly earned commissions of approximately $5,000 for each arrangement. Prosecutors submitted photos of staged wedding ceremonies as evidence, alleging that the defendants organized events at restaurants where participants wore traditional Chinese wedding attire and invited guests to create the appearance of a legitimate marriage for U.S. immigration officials.
The case highlights the mechanical ways in which federal authorities monitor and verify the validity of marriage-based visa applications. A person in a sham marriage would typically notice increased scrutiny from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, including interviews and the requirement to provide photos and documentation of a shared life. The Justice Department alleges the defendants actively coached participants to manufacture this evidence, a practice that, when detected, triggers criminal charges for conspiracy and visa fraud rather than standard administrative processing.
While the recruiters primarily operated out of New York, the indictment shows the activity spanned multiple states including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, as well as international locations like Vanuatu and China. This sets a precedent for how federal law enforcement tracks cross-border and multi-state immigration fraud networks. Following the unsealing of the indictment on Wednesday, the legal process will proceed in New York's Southern District, though specific court dates for the 11 defendants were not reported.