The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has announced that officials in Boston have taken down an alleged fraud ring that arranged for hundreds of sham marriages between migrants and United States citizens.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley made the announcement Wednesday morning during a news conference in which she said that six people have been charged regarding an alleged scheme that has been in operation for more than a decade in the Bay State arranging for fake marriages for the purpose of attaining legal migration status for illegal migrants.
One of those arrested for the alleged scheme even bragged that they could get away with the fraud because Massachusetts is a “sanctuary state.”
The six individuals charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and marriage fraud include Fall River, Massachusetts, residents Jennifer Gonzalez, Erica Daniels, Chreise Alejandro, Amara Pugh, and Jaylin Hill and Attleboro resident Jessica Tavares.
Officials allege that Gonzalez ran the business, which took money from illegal aliens to be paired up with an American citizen to arrange a sham marriage to fraudulently obtain immigration status. In turn Gonzalez paid Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares, and Hill — all U.S. citizens — to engage in the sham marriages over and over again. The migrant would then submit the fake marriage documents as evidence to attain legal immigration status.
Investigators say that Gonzales arranged up to 20 sham marriages a year over the last decade, charging up to $40,000 per fake marriage. They say Gonzales earned hundreds of thousands of dollars with the scheme.
In video evidence presented by investigators, Gonzales is heard advising migrants about what to do in Massachusetts. In one video she told a migrant, “I believe that you can, okay, because this state is a sanctuary, like Trump doesn’t like this state because the government from here, the state defends us very much.” In another she noted that Massachusetts was the “best place for you to be,” and she also told migrants that Massachusetts is a good place for them, explaining, “You get health insurance. Um, you get a lot of help as an immigrant here.”
The charges of harboring illegal aliens and conspiracy to do the same each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charges of marriage fraud and conspiracy to do the same each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000, the U.S. Attorney’s office notes.
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