Feds charge 220 in marriage scam
From Terry Frieden
CNN
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- One hundred seven Carolina women and an equal number of Middle Eastern men living illegally in the United States have been charged following the bust of a massive nationwide marriage scam designed to circumvent immigration laws.
Federal authorities emphasized that while the men involved were from Pakistan, Tunisia, and other Middle Eastern and South Asian countries, "Operation Broken Vows" uncovered no terrorism-related connections.
For the women, it was a way to make a fast $1,000 to $6,000 dollars for saying "I do." For the men it was a fast and inexpensive way to obtain documents allowing them to seek legal resident status in the United States.
Fraudulent marriages are not new to Immigration and Naturalization Service officials, but the scope of the South Carolina-based scheme left some authorities shaking their heads.
"Usually these are localized cases involving a few people, but the scope of this is amazing," said one immigration official with detailed knowledge of the case.
Many of the women were from South Carolina's Greenville, Spartanburg and Cherokee counties.
By contrast, the men they married lived in Boston, Massachusetts; San Francisco, California; New York; Baltimore, Maryland; Milwaukee, Wisconsin; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Houston, Texas; Newark, New Jersey; Omaha, Nebraska; Charlotte, North Carolina; Jacksonville, Florida; Jackson, Mississippi, Alexandria, Virginia; and Manchester, New Hampshire.
The couples often met just before walking into probate court to get married, and went their separate ways as soon as they walked out, officials said.
The 214 individuals who married and the six organizers who made all the arrangements were charged with violating marriage fraud statutes, providing false documents and obtaining identification to defraud. The charges carry penalties of five years in prison and fines of $250,000.
Authorities said the men arrested will be jailed until they are prosecuted or deported, but many of women would likely receive probation and be ordered to perform community service.
