(TheProudRepublic.com) – Contributing to the millions of illegal aliens that have entered the United States during the Biden/Harris administration, a massive organized operation providing sham marriages designed to get around immigration laws has been uncovered.
According to federal prosecutors in Massachusetts, all Philippine nationals who lived in Los Angeles faced charges of marriage fraud and immigration document fraud for orchestrating fake marriages for over 600 migrants to be able to get green cards between American citizens and their clients.
50-year-old Marcialito Biol Benitez led the fraudulent “agency” from Los Angeles and hired co-conspirators to recruit Americans willing to marry agency clients.
The agency organized fake wedding ceremonies with online officiants and took “photos of undocumented clients and citizen spouses in front of prop wedding decorations for later submission with immigration petitions,” the attorney’s office said.
Benitez and his associates coached clients on how to look genuine during immigration interviews and maintain the facade of legitimate marriages. These fraudulent unions and immigration processes demanded hefty sums which ranged from $20,000 to $35,000 in cash.
Furthermore, in cases where fake spouses became uncooperative, the agency exploited the Violence Against Women Act to secure green cards for clients and alleged that American partners abused them.
Facing charges of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud, Benitez and his cohorts received several sentences. For instance, Benitez received 22 months in prison and three years of supervised release after he pleaded guilty in September 2023.
48-year-old Juanita Pacson also pleaded guilty and was sentenced to two years of supervised release, with the initial four months on home detention. In addition, 43-year-old Engilbert Ulan faced a 14-month prison term and three years of supervised release following a federal jury conviction in November 2023.
The last fraudulent agent, 47-year-old Nino Valmeo, pleaded guilty in August and received three years of supervised release, with the first six months under home confinement.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York did not respond to inquiries about similar operations in New York.
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