💍#ICE HSI and HSTF team announce nationwide marriage fraud details

Today, we're recognizing the results of a broad, coordinated investigation led by HSI Hudson Valley, New York into an alleged nationwide and international marriage fraud network. The indictment unsealed today charges 11 individuals with participating in a conspiracy involving sham marriages, false filings, and also fraudulent documentation intended to unlawfully obtain government benefits. The alleged scheme operated for more than a decade and involved countless sham marriages, and it generated tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.

The investigation focused on a network that arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals and United States citizens. These crimes were not only taking place in New York, they reached across multiple states as well as overseas. The case highlights the type of complex, organized fraud that HSI is uniquely positioned to investigate.

Marriage fraud is not simply a paperwork issue. When individuals or organizations allegedly manufacture relationships, falsify supporting documents, stage evidence, and attempt to mislead the federal process, they undermine the integrity of our systems. And these are relied upon by the public and the government alike.

HSI and its Homeland Security Task Force partners combine complex fraud expertise, financial analysis, criminal investigative resources, and local knowledge to address an alleged network that reached beyond any one jurisdiction. HSI will continue to investigate organizations that seek to profit from fraud, deception, and the exploitation of lawful government processes. We will do so professionally, meticulously, and in close partnership with prosecutors and law enforcement agencies at every level.