Quincy Man Jingming Chen Indicted: Allegedly Paid to Enter Sham Marriage With Chinese National for a Green Card
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced on Oct. 16 that a federal grand jury has indicted Jingming Chen, 31, of Quincy, Massachusetts, charging him with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. Prosecutors allege Chen was paid by a Chinese national co-conspirator to enter into a sham marriage so the co-conspirator could illegally obtain a green card. If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison.
According to the indictment, Chen is a U.S. citizen, and the co-conspirator is a Chinese national residing in Aurora, Ohio. The two allegedly submitted false statements to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to obtain lawful permanent resident status — commonly known as a green card — and other immigration benefits for the co-conspirator, with Chen agreeing to receive partial payment at each step of the green card process as it was completed. To make the marriage appear genuine, they discussed fabricating a backstory of an online, long-distance romance, including how they met and who introduced them, and talked about obtaining a prenuptial agreement and opening joint accounts for banking, cellphone service, insurance and a discount store membership card, prosecutors say.
The indictment further alleges that the pair filed an intent to marry in Quincy, and that Chen directed the co-conspirator to buy a cheap, fake diamond ring to use at the wedding ceremony. After they married, Chen allegedly directed a preparer to submit his USCIS Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, documenting his relationship with the foreign national and paving the way for the co-conspirator to obtain a green card. The Justice Department did not release the co-conspirator's name.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Investigations office in Cleveland and the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate in Boston, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. McDonough of the Northern District of Ohio. The Justice Department emphasized that an indictment is merely an allegation and that a defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law; if convicted, the court will determine the sentence after considering factors including any prior criminal record and the defendant's role in the offense.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：位于克利夫兰的卡尔·B·斯托克斯联邦法院大楼（Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse），俄亥俄北区联邦地区法院所在地；本案起诉书由该区联邦大陪审团递交。CC0，取自维基共享资源。Photo: The Carl B. Stokes U.S. Courthouse in Cleveland, seat of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, where a federal grand jury returned the indictment. CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
