Brazilian is accused of being part of a gang that charged US$ 30,000 for fake marriages in the US

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A Brazilian was indicted and jailed in California for participating in a gang that organized fake weddings so that immigrants could obtain visas to stay in the United States.

According to the process, obtained by the sheet, the Brazilian Peterson Souza, 34, had the job of recruiting people interested in obtaining an American Green Card. Souza, who lived in Anaheim, Calif., reportedly referred at least 25 people, and received $2,000 for each referral.

The leader of the 11-person group was named as Marcialito Benitez, 48, a Filipino who lived in Los Angeles. At least since October 2016, he had operated an arranged marriage agency, which reportedly organized around 400 fake marriages and raised at least $8 million. Most of the other suspects were also Filipinos.

On Thursday (7), the US Department of Justice announced that it had already arrested eight of the members of the gang, but did not say whether Souza had already been arrested. If convicted, those involved face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

Messages seized in the investigation show that Souza referred clients to the group several times throughout 2021. However, in July, he complained that people he had referred were trying to close direct business with Benítez, to pay less. “Brazilians always try to talk to you direct and cut me off, so you charge less for not having to pay a commission,” he wrote in a message.

The scheme sought to unite visa-seeking immigrants with US citizens interested in making money from fraud. When meeting with the gang, foreigners could choose a future spouse from photos. Each interested party had to pay, in cash, between US$ 20,000 and US$ 30,000. In one of the cases, the proposal was to pay US$ 18,000 to the group and another US$ 10,000 to the American who would get married on paper, in monthly installments of US$ 350.

Under US law, spouses of US citizens are entitled to stay and work in the US on a regular basis. After the wedding, he or she receives documents such as a residence permit (called a Green Card) and a work permit. After a few years, they can apply for full citizenship.

The US immigration system prioritizes permanent visa applications based on marriage. They get ahead of other requests, which can take years to review. However, the US government seeks to investigate whether the marriages are legitimate.

Once the deal was closed, the gang took the pairs to stores to buy party clothes. The ceremonies were held in chapels where the owners did not ask many questions about the couple’s origin. Members of the group took photos of the celebration and the bride and groom near party decorations, to give more veracity to the farces.

After the celebration, the gang sought to assemble the request for documents. The group was looking for ways to tamper with the Americans’ documents, to make them look like they were wealthier than they really were, so as not to arouse suspicion. One of the tactics was to assemble false income tax returns, to be presented to the immigration service.

Some of the Americans who participated in the fraud were poor people. One of the women who accepted to marry in the role said that she was living with her son in a roadside hotel.

Other tactics were opening joint accounts in the fake couple’s name and registering vehicles in both their names. They could also declare that they lived at addresses belonging to the gang. The plan also called for taking romantic photos in public places, to create evidence of a real relationship.

In addition to the documents, the agency offered training for the interview to be carried out with the immigration authorities. The couple were instructed to demonstrate good chemistry and to have answers to trivial questions, such as “what color is your wife’s toothbrush?”.

Not all participants helped, however. The gang sometimes had to ask the fake spouses to delete photos on social media they had posted with their real partners.

In some cases, US citizens dropped out of the process and disappeared before the immigration department interview. For cases like this, a solution was created: to take advantage of a mechanism in the Violence Against Women Act, which allows immigrants newly married to Americans to apply for citizenship without their approval.

The measure was created to protect victims of domestic violence by preventing US citizens from threatening to deny access to documents as a form of coercion. In such cases, the gang even forged testimonies that the immigrant had been mistreated by her American partner.

The date for the trial has not yet been set. US officials said such actions especially harm immigrants who are legitimately seeking US citizenship.

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