Six Charged in Decade-Long Massachusetts Sham Marriage Scheme for Green Cards That Allegedly Generated $6 Million

US prosecutors charged six people in Massachusetts on Wednesday in a sham marriage scheme that allegedly generated about $6 million (£4.48 million) over a decade.

Federal authorities allege Jennifer Gonzalez organised marriages between US citizens and immigrants seeking green cards, charging $38,000 (£28,400) to $40,000 (£29,900) per arrangement.

The ceremonies included rings and photographs intended to support applications, with some participants allegedly entering more than one marriage.

Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, was among five defendants arrested on Wednesday morning. Her lawyer declined to comment. She appeared in court that day, with a detention hearing scheduled for Friday to determine whether she would remain in custody while the case proceeds.

How the Sham Marriage Scheme Allegedly Operated

The other defendants are Amara Pugh, Erica Daniels, Cherice Alejandro, Jessica Tavares and Jaylin Hill. Hill is already serving a state prison sentence for a firearms offence.

US Attorney for Massachusetts Leah Foley described Gonzalez as the organiser and Pugh as the secretary. She alleged that other participants were paid by Gonzalez and the immigrants seeking status to marry immigrants and remain married for several years to avoid suspicion.

Foley alleged the couples posed for photographs on their wedding days to present the relationships as genuine, with those images then accompanying immigration applications.

All six face charges including marriage fraud, harbouring illegal aliens and conspiracy to harbour illegal aliens. None of the immigrants who entered the marriages has been charged.

Property Deals Linked to Sham Marriage Scheme

Foley alleged Gonzalez, an American citizen, invested proceeds in businesses and property in the Dominican Republic. Prosecutors cited a conversation recorded by a cooperating witness in which she discussed land purchases.

'Every time I have a spare dollar I just invest in new property in my country. That's what I really do. I like to buy land. Like, I have a lot of land in my country,' Gonzalez stated in the recording.

She also stated in a recording that she 'stopped doing weddings at the end of 2024 because that's when Trump was becoming president'. She described immigration in 2025 as 'a little harsh.'

The arrests took place as the Trump administration tightened restrictions on both legal and illegal immigration and reduced the routes available for people to enter the country or become citizens.

Sham Marriage Scheme Inquiry Extends to Benefits

Prosecutors also accused some defendants of falsely stating on applications for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits, known as SNAP, that they had never married. Gonzalez is separately accused of fraudulently receiving those benefits, while authorities also alleged housing and unemployment fraud.

The case follows charges against 11 people in August over a separate scheme involving hundreds of Chinese nationals seeking green cards. In that case, US citizens allegedly received payments to enter sham marriages.

A previous Massachusetts prosecution involved Marcialito Biol Benitez, a Philippine national living in Los Angeles. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud, admitting that he operated an agency arranging marriages between foreign nationals and American citizens.

'This case sends a clear message. Marriage is not a loophole, it is not a shortcut, and it is not a tool for gaming U.S. immigration laws. Marriage fraud is not victimless,' stated Shawn Saucier, northeast regional chief of US Citizenship and Immigration Services.