Four California-based individuals have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for their roles in running a large-scale marriage fraud “agency” designed to help non-citizens bypass immigration laws.
The Massachusetts U.S. Attorney’s Office says the four defendants, all Philippine nationals residing in Los Angeles, arranged sham marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, and submitted fraudulent green card applications for over 600 noncitizen clients.
According to court records, the agency charged their undocumented clients a fee of between $20,000 and $35,000 in cash for submitting false petitions, applications, and other documents to substantiate the sham marriages.
Marcialito Biol Benitez, aka “Mars,” 50, was sentenced on March 7 to 22 months in prison and three years of supervised release.
Benitez’ co-defendants who have been sentenced are Juanita Pacson, 48, to two years of supervised release; Engilbert Ulan, 43, to 14 months in prison and three years of supervised release; and Nino Valmeo, 47, to three years of supervised release.
Federal prosecutors said Benitez operated the sham marriage agency out of brick-and-mortar offices in Los Angeles, where he, with the help of his co-defendants, staged fake wedding ceremonies with prop wedding decorations for later submission with fraudulent immigration petitions.
Prosecutors say he employed co-defendants Ulan and Valmeo as staff, who assisted in arranging the sham marriages and submitting the fraudulent immigration documents for the agency’s clients.
Engilbert Ulan was accused by prosecutors of conducting practice interviews with the agency’s noncitizen clients in order to help them and their fake spouses pass required interview with immigration authorities.
Ulan was accused of coaching the agency’s foreign national clients in order to provide fabricated answers to questions during green card interviews to conceal the fraudulent nature of the marriages.
Between October 2016 and March 2022, the sham marriage agency helped submit fraudulent immigration documents for at least 600 clients, the Mass. U.S. Attorney’s Office said.
Prosecutors say the agency would help clients obtain green cards by exploiting the Violence Against Women Act by falsely claiming their undocumented clients had been abused by alleged American spouses.
The four defendants recently sentenced join two others who have already been sentenced, out of a total of 11 co-defendants arrested and charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud in April 2022.
“Marriage fraud is a serious crime that threatens the integrity of our nation’s lawful immigration system,” said former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins, at the time of the arrests. “These defendants’ alleged exploitation of this system for profit is an affront to our nation’s tradition of welcoming immigrants and prospective citizens.”
Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Office Joseph Bonavolonta said the marriage fraud agency racked up “millions of dollars in profits.”
Did they pay Federal and State taxes?
That’s what you call the old entrepreneurial spirit. Of course Sandy, you know that as upstanding citizens of this great republic they fulfilled their obligation and payed their just dues.
force them to stay married — that’ll teach them.