Fort Myers Naples, FL, August 12, 2026 —

Federal authorities in New York have indicted 11 individuals in connection with an alleged multimillion-dollar scheme that facilitated the fraudulent procurement of green cards for hundreds of Chinese nationals. The operation, which reportedly operated for approximately a decade, centered on arranging sham marriages between U.S. citizens and immigrants seeking permanent residency.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice, U.S. citizens participating in the scheme were compensated up to $30,000 for entering into these fraudulent marriages. Immigrants allegedly paid as much as $100,000 per green card obtained through this process.

Investigators believe that over 1,000 sham marriages were orchestrated as part of this extensive network. The scale of the alleged operation has led authorities to characterize it as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions ever undertaken in the United States.

The charges follow a lengthy investigation into the intricate network that appears to have been in place to facilitate these illegal immigration pathways. The specific details regarding the legal proceedings, including the arraignment dates and the types of charges filed against each of the 11 individuals, were not immediately available.

This case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to combat immigration fraud and the exploitation of legal immigration systems. The U.S. Department of Justice has not released further details on the methods used to identify the alleged participants or the specific timelines of the sham marriages arranged.



Story summarized from the original created by AP on apnews.com, see more information here.

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