Four Philippine nationals living in Los Angeles have been sentenced in federal court for an elaborate $8 million scheme that arranged more than 600 sham marriages, circumvented immigration laws and obtained green cards by falsely claiming undocumented clients were abused by their American spouses.
Earlier this month, U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper in Massachusetts sentenced ringleader Marcialito Biol Benitez, 50, to 22 months in prison and three years of supervised release for the scam that operated from October 2016 to March 2022.
Co-defendants Engilbert Ulan, 43, received a 14-month prison sentence, and Juanita Pacson, 48, was placed on four months of house arrest followed by two years of supervised release.
Another co-defendant, 47-year-old Nino Valmeo, received six months of home detention and three years of supervised release.
All four were convicted in 2023 of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. Additionally, several other co-defendants were previously sentenced for their roles in the scam that involved at least one foreign national living in Massachusetts.
“This case is a prime example of multiple agencies working as a team to uphold and protect our country’s lawful immigration system,” Alanna Ow, director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services for the San Diego District, said in a statement after the indictments were handed down.
The Center for Immigration Studies estimated one in six new legal immigrants in 2022 gained their status by marrying either a U.S. citizen or a green card holder.
NBC4, based in Washington, D.C., reported in 2018 that each year about 450,000 U.S. citizens marry foreign spouses and petition to get them legal permanent residency, noting it’s one of the shortest paths to citizenship at just three years.
Clients charged $20,000 to $30,000
Benitez operated a phony marriage agency at the headquarters of Career Ad Management, a temporary staffing agency at 3325…
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