Federal authorities announced Wednesday that they have broken up an alleged marriage fraud ring that arranged hundreds of sham marriages in Massachusetts designed to obtain unlawful immigration benefits.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley was joined by Homeland Security and immigration officials at a press conference at the Moakley courthouse on Wednesday morning to detail charges against six people, five of whom they said are currently in federal custody.
Foley said the marriage fraud ring generated over $6 million in profit and spanned more than a decade. The ringleader was Fall River resident Jennifer Gonzalez, a U.S. citizen who arranged the marriages, charging between $38,000-$40,000 and arranging between 18-20 marriages a year.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley for @DMANews1: “The alleged mastermind behind this marriage fraud scheme is Jennifer Gonzales, a United States citizen who was allegedly responsible for fraudulently arranging sham marriages in Massachusetts for over a decade. Gonzales allegedly charged… pic.twitter.com/Fbomy01Fj2
— U.S. Department of Justice (@TheJusticeDept)
Gonzalez then used the money to invest in businesses and property in the Dominican Republic…