US prosecutors have charged 11 people over an alleged decade-long network that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages, primarily for Chinese nationals seeking green cards, including matches with at least 14 active-duty American soldiers.
About 11 of the soldiers, who were stationed at a US Army base in Kentucky, were paired with Chinese citizens between May 2023 and August 2025, according to a 21-page indictment unsealed on Wednesday in federal court in New York.
The indictment did not identify the military installation or the soldiers, who were allegedly recruited by an unnamed co-conspirator.
At least six service members travelled to New York City to participate in sham weddings, while an alleged facilitator and the recruiter travelled from New York to Kentucky and Tennessee to arrange two others, prosecutors said.
Asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether the case involved allegations of espionage, US Attorney General Todd Blanche replied: “Not as alleged. No.” But he stressed that the broader investigation was not over, saying any further developments would be announced.
The US Army Criminal Investigation Division is among the agencies investigating the case.
The defendants allegedly operated a nationwide and international network that matched foreign nationals – primarily citizens of China – with Americans willing to marry them in exchange for money.
Foreign nationals allegedly paid as much as US$100,000 for a sham marriage and assistance securing lawful permanent residency, allowing the network to collect tens of millions of dollars between 2016 and July this year.
“This is one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history,” Blanche said.
“This scheme was not a quick fly-by-night operation, but rather a years-long, multimillion-dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not or legally could not otherwise become citizens of the United States.”
The charges concern efforts to obtain lawful permanent residency, commonly known as a green card, rather than citizenship. Green-card holders may later become eligible to apply for US citizenship if they meet additional requirements.
Participating US citizens allegedly received as much as US$30,000, generally through instalments tied to milestones in the green-card process, while recruiters earned commissions of up to US$5,000 for each American they enlisted.
Ten of the 11 defendants were arrested on Wednesday and were expected to appear before a federal magistrate judge in White Plains, New York, later in the day.
Prosecutors described five defendants – Amy Cheng, also known as Amy Zhou; Xiao Mei Chan, also known as Carmen; Christine Lu, also known as Lily; Xiao Yan Chen, also known as Anna; and Gang Zheng, also known as Michael or Mike – as facilitators who allegedly orchestrated the marriages.
Four other defendants allegedly recruited US citizens, while Chen and Anthony Cheng were accused of officiating dozens of sham weddings.
Another defendant, Jing Yan Ye, also known as Serene, allegedly operated an office inside a driving school in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, that served as an operational hub for the network.
US Attorney Jamie McDonald said the defendants allegedly operated a “full-service fraud scheme” that provided officiants, wedding attire, photographers and guests for staged ceremonies, prepared immigration applications, coached couples before interviews and arranged their divorces after green cards were obtained.
Some couples allegedly met for the first time shortly before obtaining a marriage licence at a New York City clerk’s office. They would then stage wedding ceremonies, sometimes on the same day, at nearby restaurants.
In some cases, participants changed into traditional Chinese wedding attire and invited friends and relatives to create the appearance of a genuine marriage, according to the indictment.
The network allegedly arranged sham marriages across New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, as well as in Vanuatu and China.
Some defendants allegedly identified foreign nationals willing to pay for permanent residency, while others recruited US citizens or tapped a network of lawyers, tax preparers, marriage officiants and other service providers.
McDonald said the case originated with a single communication discovered by prosecutors during an unrelated investigation.
“Our prosecutors identified that communication, thought that it could be tied to a potential marriage and immigration fraud scheme,” he said.
“They moved quickly. They obtained warrant after warrant and followed the facts where they led.”
Investigators analysed communications, immigration filings, financial records, photographs and other evidence to identify key participants and the sham marriages they allegedly brokered, McDonald said.
While Wednesday’s charges were intended to dismantle the network, prosecutors were continuing to investigate people connected to it, he added.
“Our investigation into other aspects of it, going up and down the chain, is continuing,” McDonald said. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
