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U.S. federal prosecutors have charged six people suspected of arranging hundreds of sham marriages in Massachusetts to help undocumented immigrants obtain green cards and potentially U.S. citizenship, AnewZ reported.
Announcing the charges in Boston on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said the operation had run for about 12 years and generated more than $6 million. She identified 43-year-old Jennifer Gonzalez as the alleged organizer of the scheme.
How the sham marriages were arranged
According to a criminal complaint, Gonzalez told a cooperating individual posing as a potential client that her network had helped hundreds of people obtain permanent residence cards.
Clients allegedly paid $38,000 to $40,000 to be introduced to and married to U.S. citizens. Investigators said the group arranged an average of 18 to 20 sham marriages a year.
The complaint says Gonzalez, who was born in the United States, described Massachusetts as a “sanctuary” state that provides substantial assistance to migrants. She said she wanted to help clients achieve the American dream, but that business had become more difficult after Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025.
Gonzalez faces charges of marriage fraud and harboring undocumented immigrants in the United States. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The other five people are accused of helping run the scheme or entering sham marriages themselves.
Under federal law, marriage fraud carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. None of the defendants has been convicted, and the charges have not been tested in court.
Prosecutor details additional allegations
Foley said Gonzalez had also entered a sham marriage herself. She also accused Gonzalez of receiving state food assistance benefits without reporting income from the scheme. Prosecutors said the money was used to buy property in the Dominican Republic.
Foley, whom the Trump administration appointed as the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, called the operation complex and said it had operated with impunity under the previous administration.
“The American dream is not for sale. It is earned through hard work,” Foley told reporters.
The case is the latest in a series of criminal prosecutions launched by the Justice Department over sham marriages as part of the Trump administration’s efforts to step up immigration enforcement. In August, prosecutors in New York charged 11 people over an alleged scheme that arranged about 1,000 sham marriages, in what is considered one of the largest cases of its kind.
The administration has named immigration enforcement as one of its main priorities, increased deportations and tightened scrutiny of legal residency pathways, including family-based green card applications.
The prosecutors’ reference to Massachusetts as a “sanctuary” jurisdiction also touches on a broader political dispute. The administration has repeatedly clashed with Democratic-led states and cities that limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration agencies. Officials in those jurisdictions say the policies build trust in migrant communities and do not shield anyone from federal prosecution.
Foley said the investigation was ongoing. She warned that people who obtained legal status through the alleged scheme could face charges in the future. Migrants found to have gained residency through sham marriages could lose their status and face removal proceedings.
The defendants are expected to appear for an initial hearing in federal court in Boston.
