11 Defendants Charged In Dismantling Of Decade-Long Nationwide Marriage Fraud Scheme

United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, Jamie McDonald, Attorney General for the United States, Todd Blanche, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the New York Field Office of Homeland Security Investigations (“HSI”), Pete Gizas, Director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Joseph B. Edlow, and Westchester County District Attorney, Susan Cacace, announced today the unsealing of a two-count Indictment charging AMY CHENG, a/k/a “Amy Zhou,” XIAO MEI CHAN, a/k/a “Carmen,” CHRISTINE LU, a/k/a “Lily,” JING YAN YE, a/k/a “Serene,” XIAO YAN CHEN, a/k/a “Anna,” GANG ZHENG, a/k/a “Michael,” a/k/a “Mike,” ANTHONY CHENG, MICHELLE DUENAS, ANGELA DUENAS, SIGRID CETINO, and ERIKA JOHNSON, with conspiring, over the course of more than a decade, to orchestrate more than 1,000 sham marriages to fraudulently obtain immigration status for foreign nationals, primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China. 10 of the defendants were arrested this morning and are expected to be arraigned today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Judith C. McCarthy in White Plains federal court. “The defendants and their co-conspirators allegedly operated a nationwide and international, multimillion-dollar marriage fraud scheme, using participants to abuse United States immigration laws for their own profit,” said U.S. Attorney Jamie McDonald. “Today’s arrests have dismantled a central component of one of the largest marriage fraud schemes charged in United States history. As this prosecution shows, we and our law enforcement partners will relentlessly pursue those seeking to corrupt and exploit our nation’s lawful immigration system.” “This Department of Justice is rooting out fraud everywhere—including in our immigration system,” said Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The individuals who were arrested today allegedly orchestrated elaborate schemes to illegally obtain citizenship for foreign nationals through sham marriages. Schemes like this are a deliberate affront to the United States and our laws and will not be tolerated under the Trump Administration.” “For over a decade, this alleged criminal network treated our immigration system like a business opportunity—charging foreign nationals exorbitant fees, recruiting U.S. citizens into sham marriages, and manufacturing false evidence to deceive the federal government,” said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Pete Gizas. “Their alleged conduct struck at the heart of a lawful process, placing personal profit above fairness, accountability, and the public’s trust. When fraudsters game the system, they don’t just break the law—they cheat every person who plays by the rules and waits their turn, and they erode the confidence that legitimate institutions depend on to serve the public. HSI New York, as a co-leader of the Homeland Security Task Force, is resolute in its mission to dismantle these fraud networks, protect the integrity of our institutions, and safeguard New Yorkers’ neighborhoods, communities, and livelihoods.” “Anyone willing to lie, cheat or steal their way to legal immigration status is a direct threat to America's national security,” said USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow. “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is aggressively pursuing marriage fraud schemes and the criminal organizations and ringleaders who profit from them. USCIS will continue to expose fraud, defend the rule of law, and ensure immigration status is reserved for those who truly qualify.” “Those who deliberately arrange sham marriages to circumvent our nation’s immigration laws are not only undermining the sanctity of this institution, but they are also committing a crime,” said Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace. “This complex investigation, which our office proudly helped uncover, was worked in partnership with HSI, the FBI, and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York. This case demonstrates the power and importance of strong cooperation between all law enforcement agencies.” According to the Indictment:(1) From at least 2016 through July 2026, the defendants operated a nationwide and international marriage fraud network that arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals—primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China—and United States citizens. Although based principally in New York City, the network allegedly arranged sham marriages throughout the United States and overseas, including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China. The network included facilitators who oversaw the scheme and identified foreign-national customers; recruiters who found willing United States citizens and helped ensure their continued participation; and assistants who prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated the submission of fraudulent lawful permanent residency (“Green Card”) applications to United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (“USCIS”). The scheme also relied on marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers. 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 United States citizens as much as approximately $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. In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators recruited hundreds of United States citizens to enter into sham marriages: The defendants executed the fraud by pairing foreign nationals with United States citizens—who often met for the first time immediately before obtaining a marriage license, arranging sham wedding ceremonies, and staging photographs designed to make those marriages appear legitimate. Some examples are below, including a photograph of a sham marriage that took place in China: 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 defendants and their co-conspirators then prepared and submitted Green Card applications containing materially false statements and, when interviews with USCIS were required, coached the marriage participants on how to conceal the true nature of their relationships and provide false answers to immigration officers. The defendants caused at least hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications and supporting documents to be submitted to USCIS. Based on the scale and duration of the scheme, the defendants’ network is believed to have collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status. At the time the defendants were arrested, law enforcement executed premises search warrants at locations in Sunset Park, Brooklyn, Flushing, Queens, and Staten Island. * * * AMY CHENG, 72, of Brooklyn, New York, XIAO MEI CHAN, 64, of Queens, New York, CHRISTINE LU, 52, of Queens, New York, JING YAN YE, 43, of Staten Island, New York, XIAO YAN CHEN, 48, of Brooklyn, New York, GANG ZHENG, 61, of Queens, New York, ANTHONY CHENG, 47, of Staten Island, New York, MICHELLE DUENAS, 35, of Staten Island, New York, ANGELA DUENAS, 26, of Staten Island, New York, SIGRID CETINO, 32, of Peekskill, New York, and ERIKA JOHNSON, 43, of Ossining, New York, have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, which carries a maximum sentence 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 sentence of 10 years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendants will be determined by the judge. Mr. McDonald thanked HSI, Hudson Valley; the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Safe Streets Task Force; the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate; the United States Army Criminal Investigation Division; the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office; the United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida; and Homeland Security Investigations, Jacksonville for their outstanding investigative work. This case is being handled by the Office’s White Plains Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jake Sidransky and Reyhan Watson are in charge of the prosecution. The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. ^ As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Indictment and the description of the Indictment set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described therein should be treated as an allegation.