Married, With Fraud

The Illinois Administrator has filed a complaint alleging misconduct relating to his federal conspiracy to commit marriage fraud conviction

As part of the conspiracy, Respondent provided legal representation for fraudulently married couples when they petitioned USCIS for a “green card” for the foreign national spouse. Respondent knew these couples were in a fraudulent marriage, or “contract marriages”, for the sole purpose of obtaining a “green card” for the foreign national spouse. Respondent knowingly assisted the couples in completing necessary forms with false and fraudulent representations, gathering and manufacturing false and fraudulent documentation, submitting said false and fraudulent documentation to UCIS, coaching the couples to falsely and fraudulently hold themselves out as legitimately married and evade detection by officials at the USCIS interviews, and personally accompanying the couples to their USCIS interviews.

In support of these USCIS petitions, Respondent knowingly submitted false and fraudulent documents to USCIS on behalf of the fraudulently married couples, including, for example, Form I-130 (Petition for Alien Relative) and Form I-485 (Application to Register Permanent Resident or Adjust Status). Additionally, Respondent collected and knowingly submitted fraudulent supporting documentation to USCIS on behalf of the fraudulently married couple, including lease agreements, powers of attorney, wills, and health care proxies. Further, as part of at least one of the fraudulent USCIS packages, Respondent included the passport of the U.S. citizen spouse.

For each couple he represented, Respondent created significant legal documents for them to execute and present to USCIS as part of their petition for a “green card” for the foreign national spouse. These documents included wills, powers of attorney, and health care proxy forms. Respondent directed the couples to back date these forms to make it appear as though these were executed long before the USCIS interview in an effort to convince the USCIS adjustor that the marriage was legitimate. Further, Respondent advised the couples that these legal documents were not enforceable and were only for the purpose of presenting to USCIS. Respondent personally handed these false and fraudulent documents to the USCIS Adjudicator at the couple’s USCIS interviews.

 In total, Respondent submitted at least six, but not more than 24, packages containing false and fraudulent documentation for “green cards” based on fraudulent marriages between U.S. citizens and foreign nationals seeking legal permanent resident status in the United States.

He did it his way

On September 23, 2022, Respondent’s guilty plea came before the Honorable John L. Sinatra, Jr. for hearing, and was accepted. The sentencing hearing was initially set for March 16, 2023, but was rescheduled several times. On October 16, 2024, the sentencing hearing was rescheduled for January 8, 2025.

On January 8, 2025, Respondent was sentenced to probation for a term of three years. In addition, the court imposed six months on home detention.

(Mike Frisch)