Marriage Broker Sentenced To 19 Months Prison
San Francisco, CA
August 18, 2009
United States Department of Justice
United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello
Northern District of California
Federal Investigation Targeted San Francisco Broker Who Arranged Fake Marriages Between Chinese Citizens And American Citizens For Immigration Benefits
Kwan Tsoi also known as Joyce Cai was sentenced today to 19 months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, and ordered to forfeit $250,000 in proceeds for arranging fake marriages for immigration benefits, United States Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello, Diplomatic Security Service Special Agent in Charge Patrick Durkin, and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Special Agent in Charge Mark Wollman, announced.
According to court records and proceedings, Tsoi admitted that she was the leader of a conspiracy that between February 2007 and February 2008 arranged sham marriages between non-U.S. and U.S. citizens. Tsoi advertised in Chinese-language newspapers and charged approximately $30,000 to broker each marriage. Tsoi admitted as part of her guilty plea that she brokered nine marriages.
Tsoi also admitted that she submitted or aided in the submission of Spousal Petitions to the Citizenship and Immigration Services agency, requesting that the Chinese citizens be issued “Green Cards” based on the fake marriages to the American citizens. In pleading guilty, Tsoi admitted that these nine marriages were fake and were performed to take advantage of immigration laws granting almost immediate “Green Cards” to foreign spouses who marry American citizens. Tsoi brokered these marriages in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco, where federal search warrants were served on her business in June 2008.
Tsoi pleaded guilty in April to one count of Conspiracy, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371, six counts of Marriage Fraud, violations of 8 U.S.C. § 1325(c), and five counts of False Statements on Immigration Documents, violations of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a).
Tsoi was ordered by United States District Court Judge William H. Alsup to surrender for service of her prison sentence on Sept. 30.
“We take all violations of U.S. immigration laws seriously, but are especially aggressive in identifying and prosecuting those involved in marriage frauds and related scams,” U.S. Attorney Joseph P. Russoniello said. “People who attempt to profit from these ruses will be brought to justice. Those who knowingly avail themselves of these ploys will be caught and deported."
“The investigation is yet another example of the Diplomatic Security Service's vigilance in combating visa and passport fraud. We investigate multi-defendant criminal enterprises that broker in false visas, false immigration forms, and other false documents, to keep imposters and criminals out of the country,” Special Agent In Charge Patrick Durkin of the Diplomatic Security Service, San Francisco Field Office stated.
“Marriage fraud and other forms of immigration benefit fraud undermine the integrity of our nation's legal immigration system and potentially rob deserving immigrants of benefits they rightfully deserve,” said Special Agent In Charge Wollman of the ICE Office of Investigations in San Francisco. “This sentence should send a clear message that ICE is working aggressively to target those who conspire to corrupt our nation's proud immigration tradition for the sole purpose of enriching themselves.”
Also charged in this investigation were Henry Navarro and Kelly Ecker.
Navarro pleaded guilty to one felony count of the Conspiracy for his role in being an official and recorded witness to one fake marriage. Navarro is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Alsup on September 29, 2009.
Ecker pleaded guilty to one related misdemeanor count of the Conspiracy for her role in marrying a Chinese citizen for a fee of $17,000. On July 7, 2009, Ecker was sentenced to two years probation and was ordered to give a public speech to deter others from participating in fake marriages.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Nat Cousins and Allison Danner prosecuted the case, with the assistant of Rosario Calderon. The prosecution is the result of a two-year investigation by Diplomatic Security Service and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
Showing posts with label fraud marriage. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fraud marriage. Show all posts
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Saturday, September 26, 2009
SIXTEEN CHARGED IN VISA FRAUD SCHEME
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA INQUIRIES: KATHY COLVIN
TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/TXN
PHONE: (214)659-8600
FAX: (214) 767-2898
SIXTEEN CHARGED IN VISA FRAUD SCHEME
DALLAS — Twelve of 16 defendants charged in a federal indictment, returned by a grand jury in Dallas last week, with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with immigration documents, were arrested this morning without incident in the Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas, area and in Corpus Christi, Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. The indictment stems from an extensive investigation by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Social Security Administration’ Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
U.S. Attorney Roper said, “I compliment the agencies who worked together to unravel this alleged conspiracy. My office will continue to work to prosecute those who use fraud to undermine our nation’s immigration system.”
Charged in the indictment are:
• Maria Refugia Camarillo, a/k/a “Cuca," 70
• Diana De Leon, a/k/a “Yvette Barrera,” 34
• Laura De Leon, 33
• Olga Hernandez, a/k/a “Anita Marie Borja,” 52
• Mary Lou Hernandez, a/k/a “Rachel Lucio Trejo,” 51
• Oscar Hernandez, 44 (arrested in Corpus Christi, Texas)
• Carmela Valdez, 48
• Andres Valdez, 49
• Delia Valdez, 47
• San Juanita Valdez, 51
• Maria Rosario Nunez, 33
• Antonio Anchondo, 28
• Arnoldo Anchondo, 25
• Alfredo De Leon, Jr., 29
• Josephine Hinojosa, 28
• Diana Hernandez, a/k/a “Olga Jean Flores,” 48
Defendants Carmela, Andres and Delia Valdez, and Maria Rosario Nunez remain at large.
The arrested defendants made their initial appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge who released them on bond. All are set for arraignment on May 19, 2008.
According to the 29-count indictment, since 2003, all of the defendants were allegedly involved in a large-scale conspiracy in which foreign nationals paid as much as $12,000 each to marry U.S. citizens so that once married, they could apply for U.S. permanent residence, and later U.S. citizenship. All of the defendants are also charged with at least one substantive count including fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents; Social Security number fraud, or aggravated identity theft. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation which will require the defendants to forfeit to the U.S., upon conviction, a home located in Fort Worth, Texas.
The indictment involved an organized deception by the defendants to make the fraudulent marriages appear legitimate. Couples filed their applications for permanent residence with CIS using fraudulently obtained legitimate documents which showed their marriages were valid. To further evade detection, some defendants also used fraudulent identities, including false names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, the conspiracy count, as well as the fraud and Social Security number counts, carry a maximum statutory sentence each of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents carry a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and the aggravated identity theft count carries a statutory sentence of two years in prison which must run consecutively with any other term of imprisonment for the underlying felony.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mitchell.
MEDIA INQUIRIES: KATHY COLVIN
TUESDAY, MAY 13, 2008
WWW.USDOJ.GOV/USAO/TXN
PHONE: (214)659-8600
FAX: (214) 767-2898
SIXTEEN CHARGED IN VISA FRAUD SCHEME
DALLAS — Twelve of 16 defendants charged in a federal indictment, returned by a grand jury in Dallas last week, with conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with immigration documents, were arrested this morning without incident in the Dallas - Fort Worth, Texas, area and in Corpus Christi, Texas, announced U.S. Attorney Richard B. Roper of the Northern District of Texas. The indictment stems from an extensive investigation by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Social Security Administration’ Office of Inspector General, Health and Human Services Commission’s Office of Inspector General and the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General.
U.S. Attorney Roper said, “I compliment the agencies who worked together to unravel this alleged conspiracy. My office will continue to work to prosecute those who use fraud to undermine our nation’s immigration system.”
Charged in the indictment are:
• Maria Refugia Camarillo, a/k/a “Cuca," 70
• Diana De Leon, a/k/a “Yvette Barrera,” 34
• Laura De Leon, 33
• Olga Hernandez, a/k/a “Anita Marie Borja,” 52
• Mary Lou Hernandez, a/k/a “Rachel Lucio Trejo,” 51
• Oscar Hernandez, 44 (arrested in Corpus Christi, Texas)
• Carmela Valdez, 48
• Andres Valdez, 49
• Delia Valdez, 47
• San Juanita Valdez, 51
• Maria Rosario Nunez, 33
• Antonio Anchondo, 28
• Arnoldo Anchondo, 25
• Alfredo De Leon, Jr., 29
• Josephine Hinojosa, 28
• Diana Hernandez, a/k/a “Olga Jean Flores,” 48
Defendants Carmela, Andres and Delia Valdez, and Maria Rosario Nunez remain at large.
The arrested defendants made their initial appearance today before a U.S. Magistrate Judge who released them on bond. All are set for arraignment on May 19, 2008.
According to the 29-count indictment, since 2003, all of the defendants were allegedly involved in a large-scale conspiracy in which foreign nationals paid as much as $12,000 each to marry U.S. citizens so that once married, they could apply for U.S. permanent residence, and later U.S. citizenship. All of the defendants are also charged with at least one substantive count including fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents; Social Security number fraud, or aggravated identity theft. The indictment also includes a forfeiture allegation which will require the defendants to forfeit to the U.S., upon conviction, a home located in Fort Worth, Texas.
The indictment involved an organized deception by the defendants to make the fraudulent marriages appear legitimate. Couples filed their applications for permanent residence with CIS using fraudulently obtained legitimate documents which showed their marriages were valid. To further evade detection, some defendants also used fraudulent identities, including false names, dates of birth and Social Security numbers.
An indictment is an accusation by a federal grand jury, and a defendant is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless proven guilty. If convicted, however, the conspiracy count, as well as the fraud and Social Security number counts, carry a maximum statutory sentence each of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The fraud and misuse of visas, permits, and other documents carry a maximum statutory sentence of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine and the aggravated identity theft count carries a statutory sentence of two years in prison which must run consecutively with any other term of imprisonment for the underlying felony.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Brown and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Mitchell.
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