Massachusetts Man Charged in Alleged Sham Marriage Scheme for Green Card

A Massachusetts man has been charged with allegedly accepting payment in a marriage fraud scheme designed to help a Chinese national in Ohio obtain a U.S. green card.

Jingming Chen, 31, a U.S. citizen from Quincy, Massachusetts, is charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud, prosecutors announced on Oct. 16.

Prosecutors alleged that the fraud scheme involved Chen and a female co-conspirator living in Aurora, Ohio. 

According to the indictment, the woman entered the United States on a B-2 tourism visa in January 2020 and overstayed.

On Jan. 6, 2025, the two exchanged text messages outlining a payment schedule for the alleged fraud scheme, according to the indictment.

The woman agreed to make four payments: after registering the marriage, submitting fraudulent applications to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), obtaining a green card, and securing permanent resident status. She also agreed to pay for Chen’s expenses.

The following day, the pair exchanged more text messages about fabricating a backstory for their relationship, according to the indictment. The account was to include details about when they first met, who introduced them, their online romance and long-distance relationship, and the delay in their marriage due to opposition from Chen’s parents.

The pair also discussed the insurance policies held by Chen and whether the woman could be added to them.

For the next two days, they also communicated via text messages about opening joint cellphone accounts, discount store memberships, and bank accounts.

On Jan. 10, 2025, Chen directed the woman to purchase a counterfeit diamond ring for their marriage ceremony.

The two got married in Quincy on Jan. 13, 2025, according to the indictment.

Three months after the marriage, Chen directed a preparer to file USCIS Form I-130, a petition for an alien relative, to document his relationship with the woman, according to the indictment. The woman also directed a preparer to file a corresponding form.

On Feb. 19, Chen initially told USCIS during an interview that his marriage to the woman was real, but later admitted it was fraudulent and was intended to help his friend in exchange for payment, according to the indictment.

Chen faces up to five years in prison if convicted, according to prosecutors.

The Epoch Times contacted Chen’s lawyer for comment but didn’t receive a response by the time of publication. 

In August, prosecutors in New York unveiled an alleged sham marriage operation, unsealing a two-count indictment against 11 people accused of arranging more than 1,000 fake marriages to help foreign nationals, primarily Chinese nationals, obtain green cards.

The alleged operation lasted more than a decade until July this year, during which some paid as much as $100,000 per marriage, according to prosecutors. 

Based mostly in New York, the alleged operation arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Tennessee, Georgia, and Florida, as well as China and Vanuatu. 

The 11 defendants, aged between 26 and 72, were each charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration fraud, and conspiracy to encourage the unlawful residence of aliens in the United States.