U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland announced indictments against four people on Friday in connection with a “sophisticated network” of people who abused immigration benefits through marriage fraud, officials said.
A federal grand jury has accused four people of conspiracy to commit visa and marriage fraud: Ella Zuran, 65, Tatiana Sigal, 74, and Alexandra Tkach, 41, all from New York City, and Shawnta Hopper, 33, of Sicklerville, New Jersey.
According to the indictments, those charged coerced United States residents living in Maryland and other regions into entering phony marriages with foreigners in the United States in exchange for payment. The defendants matched US citizens with aliens seeking immigration advantages that the non-citizens were not eligible for, such as permanent residency in the United States.
The defendants then reportedly arranged for bogus paperwork to be submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and received payment in exchange for arranging the fraudulent weddings.
If convicted, the defendants may face up to five years in federal prison.
“The defendants’ greed led them to concoct an illegal-marriage scheme that compromises the integrity of our immigration system,” U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Kelly O. Hayes said, via a press release. “This indictment sends a clear message: the U.S. Attorney’s Office, along with our law enforcement partners, will relentlessly pursue and hold accountable those who try to exploit our immigration system through fraud and deception.”
“Marriage fraud is not a victimless crime — it compromises the integrity of our immigration system, diverts critical resources, and erodes public trust in a process that countless individuals follow legally and in good faith,” Special Agent in Charge Michael McCarthy said, via a press release. “These arrests mark a critical milestone in our broader effort to dismantle a criminal network that has sought to undermine our nation’s immigration laws. HSI remains committed to safeguarding the lawful immigration process and holding accountable those who seek to exploit it.”
“Some marriages are made in heaven. Some are just made up,” said USCIS Spokesperson Matthew Tragesser, via a press release. “Our work with ICE crushed a marriage fraud ring where U.S. citizens were paid to marry aliens. Under Secretary Noem, fraudsters are walking out in handcuffs. Buying a spouse doesn’t make you a citizen.”
The indictments were made public on April 25 at 11:00 a.m. in the Naturalization Hall of the USCIS headquarters in Baltimore.
Watch the press conference here:
