DOJ Charges 11 In Alleged 1,000-Plus Sham Marriage Green Card Scheme
The Department of Justice unsealed an indictment Wednesday charging 11 people in New York's Southern District with arranging more than 1,000 sham marriages to help Chinese nationals obtain green cards.[1]
The indictment says foreign nationals paid up to about $100,000 per arrangement, while facilitators took roughly $5,000 per case.[1] It describes staged wedding ceremonies used to support fraudulent green card applications.[1]
Prosecutors say the scheme ran from 2016 to 2026 and that recruiters based in New York coordinated marriages across several U.S. states and abroad, including China and Vanuatu.[1]
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📌 Key Facts
- On Wednesday, August 12, 2026, DOJ unsealed an indictment charging 11 people in New York's Southern District.
- Prosecutors allege more than 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens from 2016 to 2026.
- Foreign nationals allegedly paid up to about $100,000 per arrangement; facilitators took roughly $5,000 per case.
- The indictment describes staged wedding ceremonies used to support fraudulent green card applications.
- Recruiters in New York allegedly coordinated marriages across several U.S. states and abroad, including China and Vanuatu.
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August 12, 2026