The U.S. Department of Justice unsealed a 21-page indictment on Wednesday charging 11 people with orchestrating a decade-long marriage fraud scheme involving more than 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens. The operation allegedly ran from 2016 through July 2026 and was designed to help foreign nationals obtain fraudulent green cards through fake marriages.
The defendants, all based in New York, were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, immigration document fraud, and conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence of aliens. Among those charged are Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, Gang Zheng, and eight others, who prosecutors allege operated as facilitators, recruiters, and officiants in the scheme.
Key Allegations and Operations
Prosecutors allege the network charged Chinese nationals up to $100,000 to participate in sham marriages, with facilitators earning commissions of about $5,000 per arrangement. The indictment describes elaborate fake wedding ceremonies, including some held at restaurants where participants changed into traditional Chinese attire to create the appearance of legitimate unions. In some cases, facilitators, recruiters, foreign nationals, and U.S. citizens invited friends and family to bolster the illusion of real marriages.
The scheme was marketed through word of mouth, social media, and advertising, targeting primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China. The defendants allegedly submitted photos of these sham ceremonies to U.S. immigration officials as part of fraudulent green card applications. The operation spanned multiple states, though most activity was centered in New York.
Legal and Enforcement Response
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case “one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history”, emphasizing the scheme’s scale and duration. The charges follow a joint investigation by the Justice Department and Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), which described the operation as a “multimillion-dollar cottage industry” designed to exploit immigration laws.
Acting Executive Associate Director John Condon of HSI stated in a press release, “As alleged, this decade-long scheme turned marriage fraud into an international business model arranging countless sham marriages and causing hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications to be submitted.”
Defendants and Charges
The 11 defendants named in the indictment are:
- Amy Cheng (72), of Brooklyn
- Xiao Mei Chan (64), of Queens
- Christine Lu (52), of Queens
- Jing Yan Ye (43), of Staten Island
- Xiao Yan Chen (48), of Brooklyn
- Gang Zheng (61), of Queens
- Anthony Cheng (47), of Staten Island
- Michelle Duenas (35), of Staten Island
- Angela Duenas (26), of Staten Island
- Sigrid Cetino (32), of Peekskill
- Erika Johnson (43), of Ossining
All defendants face one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, with additional charges related to immigration fraud and conspiracy to encourage unlawful residence. The indictment includes photos of alleged sham ceremonies submitted in support of immigration applications.
Scope and Timeline
The operation allegedly began in 2016 and continued through July 2026, involving hundreds of fraudulent green card applications. Prosecutors allege the network facilitated marriages not only in New York but throughout the United States. The case marks a significant enforcement action amid broader scrutiny of immigration fraud, particularly schemes involving foreign nationals seeking U.S. residency through deceptive means.