11 Charged in Alleged U.S. Marriage Fraud Network Spanning China, Multiple States
Photo by Sasun Bughdaryan
Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against 11 people accused of operating a decade-long, multimillion-dollar marriage fraud network that allegedly arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages to help foreign nationals, primarily Chinese citizens, obtain U.S. immigration benefits.
A two-count indictment unsealed in the Southern District of New York alleges that the defendants arranged fraudulent marriages between U.S. citizens and foreign nationals, then submitted hundreds of false applications for lawful permanent resident status—commonly known as “green cards”—to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
Foreign nationals paid as much as $100,000 for a sham marriage and assistance in obtaining permanent residency, prosecutors said. The network is believed to have collected tens of millions of dollars over the course of the scheme.
The defendants, who were arrested Wednesday morning, were expected to be arraigned later in the day. They are charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud—which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison—and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of noncitizens in the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years.
The defendants are Amy Cheng (also known as Amy Zhou, 72, of Brooklyn), Xiao Mei Chan (also known as Carmen, 64, of Queens), Christine Lu (also known as Lily, 52, of Queens), Jing Yan Ye (also known as Serene, 43, of Staten Island), Xiao Yan Chen (also known as Anna, 48, of Brooklyn), Gang Zheng (also known as Michael or Mike, 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).
According to the indictment, the alleged network operated from at least 2016 through July 2026. Though based largely in New York City, it allegedly arranged marriages across the country and overseas, including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.
Prosecutors said the organization relied on facilitators who identified foreign national clients, recruiters who found U.S. citizens willing to participate, and assistants who prepared immigration documents and coordinated the filing of green card applications.
The network also allegedly used marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers to carry out the fraud.
Participating U.S. citizens were allegedly paid up to $30,000, usually in installments tied to stages of the immigration process. Recruiters could receive commissions of up to $5,000 for each U.S. citizen they brought into the operation, prosecutors said.
In some cases, a foreign national and a U.S. citizen met for the first time just before applying for a marriage license or participating in a wedding ceremony, according to the indictment. The participants then staged wedding photographs and other images intended to portray the relationships as legitimate.
After the ceremonies, the defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly created additional false evidence of shared lives, including joint financial and utility accounts, joint tax filings, and insurance policies. They also allegedly coached participants before USCIS interviews so they could conceal the true nature of their relationships and provide false information to immigration officers.
“The Department of Justice is rooting out fraud everywhere—including in our immigration system,” Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement. “The individuals who were arrested today allegedly orchestrated elaborate schemes to illegally obtain citizenship for foreign nationals through sham marriages.”
U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald for the Southern District of New York called the case one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.
“Today’s arrests have dismantled a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history,” McDonald said. “We and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue those seeking to corrupt and exploit our nation’s lawful immigration system.”
Joseph B. Edlow, director of USCIS, said marriage fraud undermines the immigration system and poses national security concerns.
“USCIS is aggressively pursuing marriage fraud schemes and the criminal organizations and ringleaders who profit from them,” Edlow said.
Federal authorities executed search warrants Wednesday at several New York locations, including in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens.
The case is being investigated by Homeland Security Investigations in Hudson Valley; the FBI’s Safe Streets Task Force; USCIS’s Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate; the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division; and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake Sidransky and Reyhan Watson are prosecuting the case. An indictment is an accusation, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.