The defendants were arrested this morning and are expected to be arraigned today. The defendants are:
- Amy Cheng, also known as “Amy Zhou,” 72, of Brooklyn, New York;
- Xiao Mei Chan, also known as “Carmen;” 64, of Queens, New York;
- Christine Lu, also known as “Lily,” 52, of Queens;
- Jing Yan Ye, also known as “Serene,” 43, of Staten Island, New York;
- Xiao Yan Chen, also known as “Anna,” 48, of Brooklyn;
- Gang Zheng, also known as “Michael” and “Mike,” 61, of Queens;
- Anthony Cheng, 47, of Staten Island;
- Michelle Duenas, 35, of Staten Island;
- Angela Duenas, 26, of Staten Island;
- Sigrid Cetino, 32, of Peekskill, New York; and
- Erika Johnson, 43, of Ossining, New York.
According to the indictment, from at least 2016 through July 2026, the defendants operated a nationwide and international marriage fraud network that arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals — primarily citizens of the People’s Republic of China — and United States citizens. Although based principally in New York City, the network allegedly arranged sham marriages throughout the United States and overseas including in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Florida, Vanuatu, and China.
The network included facilitators who oversaw the scheme and identified foreign-national customers; recruiters who found willing United States citizens and helped ensure their continued participation; and assistants who prepared immigration paperwork and coordinated the submission of fraudulent lawful permanent residency (Green Card) applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). The scheme also relied on marriage officiants, attorneys, tax preparers, insurance providers, and other service providers.
Foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as approximately $100,000 for a sham marriage and assistance obtaining lawful permanent resident status. Facilitators, in turn, allegedly paid participating U.S. citizens up to about $30,000 — generally in installments tied to milestones in the Green Card application process — and paid recruiters commissions of as much as approximately $5,000 for each citizen recruited. In total, the defendants and their co-conspirators recruited hundreds of U.S. citizens to enter into sham marriages.
The defendants executed the fraud by pairing foreign nationals with U.S. citizens. The individuals would often meet for the first time immediately before obtaining a marriage license, arranging sham wedding ceremonies, and staging photographs designed to make those marriages appear legitimate…
After the ceremonies, scheme participants manufactured evidence to make the marriages appear genuine, including by staging additional photographs, opening joint financial and utility accounts, filing joint tax returns, and obtaining insurance policies. The defendants and their co-conspirators then prepared and submitted Green Card applications containing materially false statements and, when interviews with USCIS were required, coached the marriage participants on how to conceal the true nature of their relationships and provide false answers to immigration officers.
The defendants caused at least hundreds of fraudulent Green Card applications and supporting documents to be submitted to USCIS. Based on the scale and duration of the scheme, the defendants’ network is believed to have collected tens of millions of dollars from foreign nationals seeking lawful permanent resident status.
At the time the defendants were arrested, law enforcement executed premises search warrants at multiple locations in New York including Sunset Park, Brooklyn, and Flushing, Queens.
The defendants have each been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, which, if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. The defendants have also each been charged with one count of conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States, which, if convicted, carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
