Fake marriages: FBI arrests 11 in scheme to get foreigners U.S. green cards

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation has arrested 11 people over a multimillion-dollar fake marriage network that conducted more than 1,000 fraudulent nuptials between American citizens and foreign nationals, mostly Chinese, to obtain U.S. immigration status.

The scheme ran from 2016 to July 2026, generating tens of millions of dollars, the Department of Justice said.

The defendants were arraigned on Wednesday before a federal court in White Plains, New York. U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald described it as the “largest marriage fraud scheme in U.S. history,” according to The Peoples Gazette.