Fall River Woman Allegedly Ran Millions-Dollar Immigrant Marriage Fraud Scheme for Over a Decade

BOSTON (WBSM) — Six people have been charged by federal authorities for allegedly arranging sham marriages to help immigrants fraudulently obtain legal status in the United States, with the accused ringleader, a Fall River woman, making millions off the scheme for more than a decade.

Federal Charges and Suspects Named

U.S. Attorney Leah Foley held a press conference today and announced charges against the alleged ringleader, Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, along with five other individuals: Erica Daniels, 29, of Fall River; Chreise Alejandro, 39, of Fall River; Amara Pugh, 31, of Fall River; Jessica Tavares, 31, of Attleboro; and Jaylin Hill, 26, of Fall River.

All six are charged with conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and marriage fraud.

Gonzalez, Daniels, Alejandro, Pugh and Tavares were arrested this morning. Hill is currently serving a state prison sentence for a firearms offense. All six are scheduled for initial court appearances in federal court in Boston this afternoon.

Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office

How the Alleged Sham Marriage Business Operated

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a release that court documents suggest Gonzalez “ran a business in which illegal aliens paid her to arrange sham marriages for them so that they could fraudulently obtain immigration status.”

“Gonzalez in turn paid Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares and Hill (all U.S. citizens), to engage in one or more marriages to illegal aliens so that those ‘customers’ could submit fraudulent documents to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to obtain legal immigration status. Pugh, also a U.S. citizen, worked as the business’s ‘secretary,’” according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office

It is alleged that Gonzalez was arranging approximately 18 to 20 illegal marriages per year, charging between $38,000 to $40,000 for each, adding up to hundreds of thousands of dollars over at least the past 10 years. Gonzalez allegedly stated during the investigation in audio and video recordings that she used the proceeds to buy businesses and real estate in the Dominican Republic, which she referred to as “her country,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Gonzalez allegedly instructed the illegal alien customers on how to make the marriage appear legitimate, including setting up life insurance policies and joint bank accounts, and taking selfies as a married couple.

“Gonzalez allegedly told her illegal alien customers that it would take three to four months to prepare sufficient documentation of the sham marriage to use to apply for immigration status and required her customers to sign ‘contracts’ to pay for her services,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

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Secret Recordings and Alleged Welfare Fraud

She was allegedly “captured on video and audio recordings during the investigation directing the printing and signing of a disguised ‘loan’ contract and accepting a $3,000 cash down payment for arranging a sham marriage.”

Courtesy U.S. Attorney's Office

“Gonzalez allegedly told the customer that the contract intentionally avoided mentioning the spouse because doing so would be ‘incriminating,’ and that she designed the documents to conceal the fraudulent purpose,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “It is further alleged that customers commonly made ongoing $500 monthly payments to their assigned ‘spouse’ or someone close to the spouse as part of maintaining the sham marriage.”

Gonzalez also allegedly paid Alejandro, Tavares and Hill to enter into sham marriages with her illegal alien customers. Those women then allegedly took photographs of the ‘weddings’ and social outings with their sham spouses to fraudulently apply for immigration status.

Gonzalez was also caught on video and audio allegedly making the following statements to a cooperating witness:

• “But also that’s when Trump was becoming a president…and there was a lot of immigration powers…under the new administration, immigration laws/proceedings are stricter,” “….we’re in a new government, things are a little bit more difficult….”
• “…I believe that you can, okay, because this state is a sanctuary, like Trump doesn't like this state because the government from here, the state defends us very much.”
• “Massachusetts is the best place for you to be. That is a fact.”
• “You get health insurance. Um, you get a lot of help as an immigrant here.”

“According to court documents, multiple defendants lied on Massachusetts SNAP benefit applications by falsely claiming to have never been married, even while filing federal immigration petitions on behalf of their sham spouses,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “Gonzalez allegedly spent over $120,000 that she received in SNAP benefits while she was running the sham marriage ring and buying property in the Dominican Republic.”

Potential Penalties and Ongoing Federal Investigation

The charges related to harboring illegal aliens each provide for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charges related to marriage fraud each provide for up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office said the investigation into the fraud marriage scheme is ongoing.