Fraudsters in California organized hundreds of fictitious marriages for green cards: the service cost from $20 to $000

Four people from California were convicted in Boston Federal Court for their participation in a large-scale scam. They helped those wishing to enter into hundreds of fictitious marriages for the sake of green cards, reports US Department of Justice.

Photo: iStock.com/Sargis Zubov

The U.S. Attorney's Office said the marriages were arranged between more than 600 clients. Scammers helped people circumvent immigration laws to obtain a green card. Clients of the underground agency received green cards in accordance with the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). In this case, they claimed that they were allegedly subjected to violence by their American spouses.

The four defendants are Filipino citizens living in Los Angeles. Scammers operated an agency that arranged marriages between foreign clients and US citizens for fees ranging from $20 to $000.

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In April 2022, seven more people were charged in this case. Punishments range from 22 months in prison to probation.

How the circuit worked

Marcialito Biol Benitez, aka "Mars", 50 years old, with help accomplices ran what he and others called "the agency." Their office helped arrange hundreds of fictitious marriages between foreign “clients” and United States citizens. “The Agency” prepared and submitted false petitions, statements, and other documents to support sham marriages and obtain adjustments to clients’ immigration status for fees ranging from $20 to $000.

Benitez ran the "agency" from brick-and-mortar offices in Los Angeles. He relied on the help of several associates to recruit U.S. citizens to marry potential clients in exchange for payment.

Benitez organized fake wedding ceremonies in chapels, parks and other places. Fraudsters advised clients on creating and maintaining the appearance of a legal marriage.

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The scammers conducted practical interviews with agency clients and their fake spouses. They prepared couples for the required immigration interviews, including training fictitious couples to give the same fabricated answers to questions asked during green card interviews and to hide the fictitious nature of the marriages.

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