4 sentenced in Boston court for setting up "sham marriages" for green cards
BOSTON - Four California people have been sentenced in Boston Federal Court for their roles in running a large-scale marriage fraud scam that arranged hundreds of "sham marriages."
The U.S. Attorney's Office said the marriages were set up between more than 600 clients to help people skirt immigration laws and get green cards. Part of the scam included obtaining green cards under the Violence Against Women Act by falsely claiming undocumented women had been abused by American spouses.
The four defendants are Philippine nationals living in Los Angeles. They ran an agency that arranged marriages between foreign clients and U.S. citizens for a fee of $20,000 and $35,000.
Seven others were also charged in the scheme in April 2022. The sentences range from 22 months in prison to probation.