Marriage Fraud is a Federal Crime

Marriage fraud is not a victimless, innocent crime.

Marriage fraud is a serious crime that weakens our nation’s security and makes us less safe.

Participating in marriage fraud can result in imprisonment of up to ve years for those involved.

U.S. CITIZENSHIP IS NOT FOR SALE

Background

Marriage fraud is a threat to U.S. national security, nancial

institutions and the integrity of the immigration system.

Marriage fraud investigations conducted by U.S. Immigration and

Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations

(HSI) have revealed massive schemes that involve complex

criminal organizations.

Neither victimless nor limited in scope, the crime of marriage

fraud is anything but a trivial matter. Engaging in this fraud and

trading America’s security for nancial gain is a felony with

serious criminal penalties and consequences.

Types of Marriage Fraud

• A U.S. citizen is paid, or asked to perform a favor, to marry

a foreign national already residing in the United States;

• “Mail-order” marriage where either the U.S. citizen or

alien knows it is a fraud; and,

• A foreign national defrauds a U.S. citizen who believes

the marriage is legitimate.

Penalties

An individual will be charged with marriage fraud if they entered

into a marriage for the purpose of evading U.S. immigration law.

This felony offense carries a prison sentence of up to ve years

and a ne of up to $250,000, and applies to both foreign nationals

and U.S. citizens who perpetrate this crime.

Those charged with marriage fraud may also be charged with visa

fraud, harboring an alien, conspiracy and making false statements;

each charge carries additional prison sentences and nancial

penalties.

Further Consequences

U.S. citizens who enter into fraudulent marriages assume great

personal liability. The foreign spouse may gain access to sensitive,

personal information including, but not limited to, bank accounts,

safe deposit boxes, retirement and investment accounts, personal

identity information, and family heirlooms.

Terrorists and other criminals can use marriage fraud as a vehicle

to enter the United States, often due to the willingness of U.S.

citizens to participate in marriage fraud schemes. They can then

hide their identity, gain unlawful employment, access government

buildings, and open bank accounts and businesses to conduct

further criminal activity.

Participants in marriage fraud may, knowingly or unknowingly,

be aiding terrorists, foreign intelligence or other criminal

organizations, and will be held accountable.

Vigilance

To combat marriage fraud and other similar crimes, HSI created

the Document and Benet Fraud Task Forces (DBFTF) in 2006. Led

by HSI, the DBFTFs build upon existing partnerships with other

federal and state law enforcement investigators with document

and benet fraud expertise. The Task Forces also ally themselves

with U.S. Attorneys, to use a comprehensive approach against the

criminal organizations and beneciaries behind these fraudulent

schemes.

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