The Justice Department unveiled criminal charges against 11 people Wednesday, accusing them of orchestrating one of the largest marriage fraud schemes in U.S. history. The network allegedly arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens to secure green cards, operating from at least 2016 through July 2026.
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in the country's history. According to a 21-page indictment filed in New York's Southern District, defendants Amy Cheng, Xiao Mei Chan, and Gang Zheng helped coordinate the operation. Foreign nationals paid as much as $100,000 for the arrangements, while U.S. citizen participants received roughly $30,000 paid in installments tied to green card application milestones.
The scheme fabricated evidence of legitimate marriages, including joint bank accounts, utility bills, and tax returns, and submitted photos of sham ceremonies to immigration officials. Marriages were arranged across multiple U.S. states and abroad, including in Vanuatu and China. The two charges carry maximum sentences of five and 10 years in prison.