- Federal prosecutors charged eleven individuals for arranging over one thousand sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens.
- Foreign nationals reportedly paid up to one hundred thousand dollars for staged ceremonies and fabricated immigration evidence.
- The decade-long operation spanned across eight states and two international locations, including China and Vanuatu.
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday charged 11 people in an alleged marriage fraud operation that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens. The Justice Department said the decade-long scheme used staged ceremonies, photographs and fabricated relationship evidence to support immigration applications.
The two-count indictment, unsealed in the Southern District of New York on August 12, 2026, says foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as approximately $100,000 for sham marriages and assistance obtaining lawful permanent resident status. Recruiters paid participating U.S. citizens as much as $30,000, prosecutors said.
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case “one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.” He said it showed “how far people will go to cheat our immigration system.”
The defendants were arrested and expected to be arraigned the same day. Each faces two conspiracy counts.
According to the Justice Department, the alleged operation ran from at least 2016 through July 2026. It was based principally in New York City but extended across Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, as well as Vanuatu and China.
The alleged operation staged weddings for immigration files
The indictment says participants arranged restaurant wedding ceremonies and wore traditional attire during the events. They posed for photographs, which defendants then submitted to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services as evidence that the relationships were genuine.
The alleged conduct sought to make marriages appear legitimate on paper. The indictment describes an operation involving mostly Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens.
Prosecutors charged each defendant with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud. That count carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
The second count alleges conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens. It carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
The charges are allegations. The defendants are entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty in court.
Eleven defendants face the same two conspiracy counts
The indictment names Amy Cheng, 72, of Brooklyn; Xiao Mei Chan, 64, of Queens; Christine Lu, 52, of Queens; Jing Yan Ye, 43, of Staten Island; and Xiao Yan Chen, 48, of Brooklyn.
It also charges Gang Zheng, 61, of Queens; Anthony Cheng, 47, of Staten Island; Michelle Duenas, 35, of Staten Island; Angela Duenas, 26, of Staten Island; Sigrid Cetino, 32, of Peekskill; and Erika Johnson, 43, of Ossining.
The operation allegedly crossed state and international boundaries while maintaining its principal base in New York City. Its alleged timeline covers roughly a decade, ending in July 2026.
The case follows a new birth-tourism directive
The announcement came after President Donald Trump signed an executive order on August 6, 2026, directing the Secretary of State and the Secretary of Homeland Security to prioritize “birth tourism.” The order directs officials to deny visas to people suspected of engaging in the practice.
One description of the order defines birth tourism as entering the United States on a nonimmigrant visa to give birth on American soil, or helping someone do so. The marriage-fraud indictment concerns a separate alleged scheme involving marriages and immigration benefits.
The department and Homeland Security Investigations are continuing to pursue immigration fraud nationwide. The indictment places the alleged marriage operation across several U.S. states and two locations outside the country.
Arraignments were expected on Wednesday, as prosecutors began moving the case through the Southern District of New York. The maximum penalties listed in the indictment apply to the charged counts and do not determine the outcome of the case.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Consult a qualified immigration attorney about your specific case.
