Six people have been charged in connection with an alleged Massachusetts sham marriage ring that federal prosecutors say arranged fraudulent marriages for undocumented immigrants seeking legal immigration status in the United States.
The defendants are Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, Erica Daniels, 29, Chreise Alejandro, 39, and Amara Pugh, 31, all of Fall River; Jessica Tavares, 31, of Attleboro; and Jaylin Hill, 26, also of Fall River.
They face charges including conspiracy to harbor undocumented immigrants, harboring undocumented immigrants, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud.
Gonzalez, Daniels, Alejandro, Pugh and Tavares were arrested, while Hill was already serving a state prison sentence for a firearms offence.
Federal authorities stressed that the investigation remains ongoing. The charges are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
Prosecutors Say Scheme Ran for More Than a Decade
Court documents identify Gonzalez as the alleged organiser of the operation.
Prosecutors say undocumented immigrants paid her to arrange marriages with United States citizens so they could submit immigration applications portraying the unions as genuine.
Gonzalez allegedly recruited Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares and Hill to marry customers of the operation. Pugh is accused of working as the organisation's “secretary.”
According to investigators, the alleged business arranged roughly 18 to 20 marriages each year and charged between $38,000 and $40,000 for each arrangement.
Authorities estimate that Gonzalez earned hundreds of thousands of dollars annually and operated the scheme for at least 10 years.
If sustained at that pace, the operation would have involved substantial sums over the period under investigation.
Prosecutors allege Gonzalez told investigators that proceeds from the scheme were used to acquire businesses and real estate in the Dominican Republic.
Customers Allegedly Coached to Make Marriages Look Genuine
The case goes beyond allegations that marriages were simply arranged.
Federal prosecutors say Gonzalez coached customers on how to create the appearance of a legitimate relationship before submitting documents to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services.
That allegedly included opening joint bank accounts, arranging life insurance policies and taking photographs together as couples.
Court documents say Gonzalez advised customers that it could take three to four months to build enough documentary evidence before filing immigration applications.
Customers were also allegedly required to sign contracts outlining payment arrangements for her services.
During the investigation, prosecutors say Gonzalez was recorded directing the preparation of what appeared to be a disguised loan agreement before accepting a $3,000 cash down payment for arranging a marriage.
She allegedly explained that references to a spouse were deliberately left out because such language would be “incriminating.”
Investigators also allege that customers commonly paid about $500 each month to their assigned spouse or someone connected to that person as part of maintaining the appearance of the marriage.
Wedding Photos Allegedly Used in Immigration Applications
Federal authorities say some of the defendants participated directly in the marriages.
Alejandro, Tavares and Hill are accused of accepting payment to marry undocumented immigrants introduced through Gonzalez's operation.
Photographs from purported weddings and social activities were allegedly created and later used to support immigration applications.
Court documents cited an alleged marriage involving Tavares and a Brazilian national in May 2018 and another involving Daniels and a Brazilian national in August 2024.
Prosecutors say the documentation was intended to convince immigration authorities that the relationships were genuine.
The investigation also relied on video and audio recordings involving Gonzalez and a cooperating witness.
In one recorded conversation cited by prosecutors, Gonzalez allegedly discussed tougher immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump and portrayed Massachusetts as a relatively favourable location for immigrants.
“Massachusetts is the best place for you to be. That is a fact,” she allegedly said.
The statements are part of the evidence described by prosecutors and have not yet been tested at trial.
SNAP Benefit Claims Also Under Scrutiny
The investigation has also raised allegations involving government benefits.
Court documents say several defendants made false statements on Massachusetts Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program applications by claiming they had never been married, even while filing federal immigration petitions linked to the alleged sham marriages.
Gonzalez is accused of receiving and spending more than $120,000 in SNAP benefits while operating the alleged marriage scheme and acquiring property in the Dominican Republic.
Those allegations form part of a wider investigation involving several federal agencies.
Homeland Security Investigations and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services are among the agencies leading the case, with assistance from inspectors general at the Departments of Labor, Agriculture and Housing and Urban Development, as well as the United States Postal Inspection Service.
Defendants Face Potential Prison Terms
The charges of harboring undocumented immigrants and conspiracy to do so each carry a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Marriage fraud and conspiracy to commit marriage fraud each carry maximum sentences of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and fines of up to $250,000.
Any eventual sentence would be determined by a federal judge after considering the United States Sentencing Guidelines and other applicable statutes.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming and USCIS Northeast Regional Chief Shawn Saucier announced the charges.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Crowley and Kaitlin J. Brown of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit are prosecuting the case.
With the investigation still active, federal authorities have not indicated whether additional suspects or charges could emerge.
READ ALSO: Parliament's Human Rights Committee Seeks Swift Obuasi SHTS Abuse Probe
