11 arrested in sham marriage scheme giving Chinese nationals green cards
Daily News Article — Posted on August 18, 2026
(by Steph Whiteside, News Nation) – The Department of Justice has charged 11 people with conspiring to orchestrate more than 1,000 fraudulent marriages over more than ten years.
The marriages were used to obtain immigration status for foreign nationals, primarily from China, with some paying up to $100,000 per marriage, the indictment said.
“This Department of Justice is rooting out fraud everywhere — including in our immigration system,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The individuals who were arrested today allegedly orchestrated elaborate schemes to illegally obtain citizenship for foreign nationals through sham marriages.”
Those arrested include Amy Cheng, 72, Xiao Mei Chan, 64, Christine Lu, 52, Jing Yan Ye, 43, Xiao Yan Chen, 448, Gang Zheng, 61, Anthony Cheng, 47, Michelle Duenas, 35, Angela Duenas, 26, Sigrid Cetino, 32, and Erika Johnson, 43.
From at least 2016 until July 2026, the defendants allegedly operated a national and international marriage fraud network that arranged marriages between foreign individuals and U.S. citizens.
The foreign nationals were primarily from China, prosecutors said, and most of the marriages were based in New York, although some took place overseas and in other states, including Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida.
Prosecutors said the network consisted of facilitators who oversaw the scheme and found foreign customers, recruiters who found U.S. citizens to take part, and assistants who prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated the submission of documents.
People from other countries allegedly paid up to $100,000 for the marriage and immigration assistance, with U.S. citizens allegedly receiving about $30,000, paid in installments tied to the Green Card application process. Recruiters were allegedly paid commissions as high as $5,000 for each citizen recruited.
Prosecutors say the couples often met for the first time before getting a marriage license and having a sham marriage ceremony and staged photographs designed to make the marriage appear real. Prosecutors say participants would also manufacture other evidence, including staging extra photos, opening joint financial accounts, filing joint tax returns and getting insurance policies to make the relationship appear genuine.
During the Green Card application process, prosecutors say participants were coached on how to make their relationship appear legitimate to immigration officers.
The scheme is believed to have resulted in hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications and documents being submitted to immigration authorities and the network is believed to have collected tens of millions of dollars from people seeking lawful status in the U.S. [by fraudulent means].
(NOTE: Separately in February, 11 other people were indicted in a similar federal marriage fraud conspiracy case in Florida. The gang recruited U.S. service members to enter into fraudulent marriages that enabled Chinese nationals to obtain immigration benefits and access identification cards for U.S. military installations. Read the article at ice.gov.)
Published at NewsNation on August 12. Reprinted here for educational purposes only. May not be reproduced without permission.
Background
The defendants caused at least hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications and supporting documents to be submitted to USCIS. Based on the scale and duration of the scheme, the defendants’ network is believed to have collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status.
At the time the defendants were arrested, law enforcement executed premises search warrants at multiple locations in New York including Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens.
The defendants have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, which, if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The defendants have also each been charged with one count of conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States, which, if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
(From the DOJ's August 12, 2026 press release at justice.gov.)