California man pleads guilty in large-scale sham marriage scheme to evade immigration laws
CA agency charged $20,000 to $35,000 for forged marriage documents
Associated Press
Published September 28, 2023 6:02pm EDT
A California man has pleaded guilty to arranging hundreds of sham marriages in an effort to circumvent immigration laws, federal prosecutors said.
Marcialito Biol Benitez, a 49-year-old Philippine national living in Los Angeles, pleaded guilty Wednesday to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Denise Casper scheduled sentencing for Jan. 10.
A lawyer for Benitez said his client was declining to comment.
CA Fox News graphic
A California man has pleaded guilty to arranging hundreds of sham marriages to circumvent immigration laws. (Fox News)
In a statement, the U.S. attorney’s office in Boston said Benitez operated a large-scale marriage fraud agency in which he arranged marriages between foreign nationals and American citizens. Federal prosecutors alleged the agency charged fees between $20,000 to $35,000 to submit false paperwork substantiating the sham marriages. Operated out of an office in Los Angeles, prosecutors alleged that Benitez had his staff recruit American citizens for the marriages and submitted fraudulent marriage and immigration documents including false tax returns.
https://www.foxnews.com/us/california-man-pleads-guilty-large-scale-sham-marriage-scheme-evade-immigration-laws
