Green Card Scheme Uncovered
Federal Prosecutors Charge 11 in Decade-Long Marriage-Fraud Ring for Green Cards
Key Points
The indictment names specific facilitators among the defendants, including Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, and Gang Zheng, along with eight other co-conspirators.
The case spans at least 2016 through July 2026, alleging more than 1,000 sham marriages and tens of millions of dollars in illicit proceeds.
Prosecutors say the operation was a 'full-service' fraud, coordinating weddings with officiants and photographers, preparing immigration paperwork, opening joint bank and cellphone accounts, and coaching couples for USCIS interviews.
The network operated across numerous states beyond the four named in early briefs, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, with some marriages arranged abroad in China and Vanuatu.
All 11 defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.
Federal prosecutors have charged 11 people in what they call one of the largest marriage-fraud prosecutions in U.S. history. The scheme allegedly ran for a decade and arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages to help Chinese nationals get green cards, according to Fox News.
Attorney General Todd Blanche called it a "years-long multimillion-dollar cottage industry" built to exploit the immigration system. Clients paid up to $100,000 per marriage. U.S. citizens who agreed to fake weddings could earn as much as $30,000, while recruiters took home about $5,000 per deal, according to Washington Examiner.
How a Decade of Fake Weddings Scaled to 1,000 Marriages
The alleged operation ran from at least 2016 through July 2026. Eleven defendants based in New York are named in the indictment, including Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, and Gang Zheng, along with eight co-conspirators, PIX11 reported. All 11 face charges of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and conspiracy to help foreign nationals live in the U.S. unlawfully.
The scheme spread far beyond New York. Marriages were arranged in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida. Some ceremonies even took place abroad — in China and Vanuatu — according to GV Wire.
Full-Service Fraud: Ceremonies, Coaches, and Fake Bank Accounts
This was not a simple paperwork scam. Prosecutors say the network arranged full wedding ceremonies, complete with officiants and photographers. Couples were coached on what to say during official USCIS interviews — those are the meetings where immigration officers check if a marriage is real, Washington Examiner reported.
The operation also helped fake couples open joint bank accounts and shared cellphone plans to make their marriages look legitimate. Immigration paperwork was prepared for them as well. The goal was to leave no obvious gaps that federal officers could easily spot.
Justice Department and Homeland Security Join Forces to Crack Down
The case was built by a joint effort. The Justice Department led the prosecution, while Homeland Security Investigations and the Homeland Security Task Force handled the on-the-ground investigation. USCIS, the agency that processes green card applications, also played a role in flagging suspicious filings, according to GV Wire.
The bust follows a broader Trump administration push against immigration fraud, including a recent executive order targeting birth tourism. Fox News noted that prosecutors described the proceeds as reaching into the tens of millions of dollars over the life of the scheme.
What Comes Next for the 11 Defendants
All 11 defendants now face two federal conspiracy charges. A conviction on each count can carry serious prison time. The charges cover both the fraudulent marriages themselves and the broader effort to help foreign nationals stay in the country illegally, PIX11 reported.
Authorities have not yet detailed how many of the 1,000-plus marriages they plan to fully investigate. But the scale of the indictment signals that prosecutors see this as a landmark case. Attorney General Blanche's office has framed it as a warning shot to similar networks operating across the country.
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