via Khmer NZ News Media
By Karla Ward - kward1@herald-leader.com
A 25-year-old Georgetown man has pleaded guilty in a Cambodian marriage fraud scheme.
Justin Michael Martin was paid about $7,000 to marry a Cambodian woman to help her evade U.S. immigration laws and become a permanent resident, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Martin and Phearoun Peter Em, who was also involved in the scheme, went to Cambodia in June 2004, when Martin met and agreed to marry Yota Em. Participants in the conspiracy paid for Martin's expenses on the trip, including "sexual services from a Cambodian female," according to the release.
Yota Em entered the United States on a K-1 visa, representing herself as Martin's fiancee, in September 2005. They were married in a civil ceremony in Lexington on March 5, 2007, but the marriage was never consummated, the DOJ said. Em and Martin were divorced on June 30, 2009.
Yota Em is currently a fugitive.
Martin pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. He faces a maximum of 10 years in prison and a $500,000 fine.
Magistrate Judge James D. Moyer of U.S. District Court in Louisville has ordered a pre-sentence investigation, and a sentencing date has not been scheduled, the news release stated.
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