Twenty-one individuals are facing charges for involvement in an alleged Miami marriage fraud operation that set up illegal immigrants with American spouses, court documents reveal.
The alleged operation paid American citizens or legal permanent residents to get into sham marriages with illegal immigrants. The defendants were indicted in federal court on May 30.
Larisa de Lima was the organizer of the operation, and allegedly worked with recruiters to find citizens and legal residents to enter into these marriages. The operation included false marriage licenses that would be used to give these immigrants legal status, according to the indictment.
De Lima and Almir de Lima also allegedly prepped their co-conspirators for interviews with immigration officials. The indictment states that at least three legal permanent residents were paid $5,000 for their involvement in marriages.
The Senate Judiciary Committee recently held a hearing on marriage fraud. The hearing focused on incidents in which immigrants con Americans and then divorce them after coming to the U.S. Republican Iowa Sen. Chuck Grassley also mentioned a fraud scheme in California that led to 70 marriages.