http://www.whas11.com/
via CAAI News Media
by Anna Prendergast
Wednesday, Apr 14
LOUISVILLE (WHAS11) – A massive marriage fraud ring has been busted in Kentuckiana.
The U.S. attorney's office in Louisville says free vacations and cash were given to Americans so that they would marry people living in Cambodia.
Nearly two dozen people have now been indicted. Most of them live in Louisville and southern Indiana.
WHAS11’s Anna Prendergast has more on this story.
23 people were indicted Tuesday at Louisville’s federal courthouse, but the investigation has been going on for a while. Authorities have been looking into claims that these fake marriages have been going on for the past ten years.
The 36-page indictment reads like a script from a movie.
It claims that more than 20 people from Louisville, southern Indiana, and nearby cities were involved in over a dozen fake marriages.
The indictment says Americans were recruited to marry people from Cambodia so the Cambodians could obtain lawful permanent residence in the United States.
The willing Americans were rewarded with payments up to $10,000.
The U.S. attorney's office says there was a group of people that did some of the recruiting out of nail salons they own and work at across Louisville and southern Indiana, including the Pretty Nails Salon on Charlestown Road in New Albany.
When WHAS11 News went there today, we asked if anyone there knew about the owners being indicted. Employees there said they had no idea what was going on.
In the indictment it says a lot of the Americans flew right out of Louisville’s Standiford Field to meet their bride-or-groom-to-be in Cambodia.
The U.S. attorney's office says once the Americans landed in Cambodia they got what you call an all-expense paid vacation that included free hotels, meals, drinks, and entertainment
Also while in Cambodia, investigators say to try and make the marriages look real the phony couples would fake engagement ceremonies, and take pictures in hotel rooms and on the beaches.
Federal authorities wouldn't go on camera, but in a statement, immigration officials say marriage fraud results in an illegal short-cut to U.S. citizens and poses concerns to our national security. They also say that all of those involved in these false marriages will be held accountable.
The indictment also says that at least one of the phony marriages has ended in divorce.
If convicted, the 23 people charged could face years in prison and big fines.
3 comments:
more of this is going on in lexington....when i go to nail salon, their owner say they have american husband and non of the women speak any english whom are married to american husband
I hope they are ALL punished to the fullest extent of the law and ALL with green cards or fake citizenships should be deported back to cambodia at their own expense never to be granted citizenship ever again. They are taking the jobs of legitimate citizens who deserve the jobs plus our economy is struggling.
if u have ever been to cambodia u would no why these ppl would want to leave. u ppl need to focus more on mexico rather than cambodia. not everyone went there to sleep wit prostitutes and enjoy themselves, sum ppl have very bad money problems, and which our goverment wont help. so ppl had to do what they had to do to make life right with there familys. so until u ppl no what ur talking about keep it to urself! maybe the indicted should take the us goverment to grand jury about not helpping the ppl in there own country. our goverment is a sham! and were becoming a thrid world country. our goverment should award these ppl for bettering these ppls lives.
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