Sham Marriage Network Charged $100K for Fake Weddings — Italian Media Calls Them 'Headhunters'

The Justice Department has charged 11 people in what it calls one of the largest marriage fraud schemes in U.S. history — a decade-long operation that allegedly arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages, primarily for Chinese nationals seeking green cards. Italian media has called the network "cacciatori di teste" — headhunters — for their aggressive recruitment of U.S. citizens.

The defendants, based principally in New York City, allegedly charged foreign nationals as much as $100,000 per fake marriage and paid American citizens up to $30,000 to participate. According to Italian outlet Il Messaggero, the network operated like a "headhunting" agency, actively recruiting Americans willing to enter fake marriages for profit.

Attorney General Todd Blanche announced the unsealing of a two-count indictment on August 12, 2026, calling the scheme "a deliberate affront to the United States and our laws" that "will not be tolerated under the Trump Administration."

According to the indictment, the network operated as a sophisticated international business with multiple tiers of participants. Facilitators oversaw the scheme and identified foreign-national customers. Recruiters found willing U.S. citizens and helped ensure their continued participation. Assistants prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated the submission of fraudulent green card applications.

The scheme also relied on marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers. The network used word of mouth, social media, and various forms of advertising to market fraudulent immigration services.

Foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as approximately $100,000 for a sham marriage and assistance obtaining lawful permanent resident status. Facilitators, in turn, allegedly paid participating U.S. citizens up to about $30,000 — generally in installments tied to milestones in the green card application process — and paid recruiters commissions of as much as approximately $5,000 for each citizen recruited.

The defendants executed the fraud by pairing foreign nationals with U.S. citizens who often met for the first time immediately before obtaining a marriage license. They arranged sham wedding ceremonies and staged photographs designed to make those marriages appear legitimate. After the ceremonies, scheme participants manufactured evidence to make the marriages appear genuine, including by staging additional photographs, opening joint financial and utility accounts, filing joint tax returns, and obtaining insurance policies.

The network was not limited to New York City. According to the indictment, the operation arranged sham marriages throughout the United States and overseas, including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.

The 11 defendants were arrested on August 12, 2026, and are expected to be arraigned in White Plains federal court. They are: Amy Cheng, also known as "Amy Zhou," 72, of Brooklyn; Xiao Mei Chan, also known as "Carmen," 64, of Queens; Christine Lu, also known as "Lily," 52, of Queens; Jing Yan Ye, also known as "Serene," 43, of Staten Island; Xiao Yan Chen, also known as "Anna," 48, of Brooklyn; Gang Zheng, also known as "Michael" and "Mike," 61, of Queens; Anthony Cheng, 47, of Staten Island; Michelle Duenas, 35, of Staten Island; Angela Duenas, 26, of Staten Island; Sigrid Cetino, 32, of Peekskill; and Erika Johnson, 43, of Ossining.

Each defendant has been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, and one count of conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow described the threat in stark terms: "Anyone willing to lie, cheat or steal their way to legal immigration status is a direct threat to America's national security."

How the Scheme Was Uncovered

According to the Justice Department, the scheme was uncovered through a multi-agency investigation that involved HSI, the FBI, USCIS, the U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Division, and the Westchester County District Attorney's Office.

Investigators reportedly began looking into the network after receiving tips from immigration officials who noticed irregularities in green card applications. Over time, they built a case using financial records, communications intercepts, and interviews with participants.

Some participants later cooperated with investigators, providing testimony about how the network operated. Others were identified through the network's own records, which were seized in search warrants executed at the time of the arrests.

The investigation also uncovered evidence of the network's international reach, with operations extending to multiple states and countries, including China and Vanuatu.

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