A Houston woman has pleaded guilty in what federal authorities describe as one of the largest marriage fraud cases ever documented in the area.
Ashley, 55, was identified by prosecutors in May 2019 as the organizer of a scheme that arranged sham marriages so people could obtain immigration status. According to ABC 13 Houston, which cited the U.S. Attorney’s Office, she admitted her role as part of a plea to conspiring to engage in marriage fraud, mail fraud, immigration fraud, money laundering and making false statements in a tax return.
Prosecutors say members of Ashley’s family were allegedly at the heart of the operation. ABC 13 reports that nearly 100 people were charged overall, and a federal grand jury indicted 96 of them.
At least 40 immigrant couples were reportedly involved. Authorities say they were charged as much as $70,000 for fake wedding documents meant to help them obtain legal residence in the United States, and that spouses paid extra for each immigration benefit they received, including conditional permanent resident status and full lawful permanent resident status.
Ashley faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. When the arrests were announced, Special Agent in Charge Mark Dawson of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations described the case as the result of a year long, multi agency investigation into one of the largest alleged marriage fraud conspiracies ever documented in the Houston area.
Many of the people charged in the case are still working their way through the court system, and charges against them remain allegations until proven.
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