MA resident alleged client of sham marriage agency, 11 charged: feds

BOSTON, Mass. — Eleven people have been charged with running a “large-scale” marriage fraud agency based in California, which arranged hundreds of sham marriages to circumvent immigration laws, the U.S. Attorney’s office announced Thursday.

Among the agency’s clients was a foreign national living in Massachusetts, according to the announcement.

Federal authorities allege 48-year-old Marcialito Biol Benitez, a Phillipine national living in Los Angeles, operated an agency that arranged hundreds of sham marriages between citizens of the United States and foreign national clients. The agency prepared and submitted false petitions, applications and other documents to substantiate the marriages and secure adjustment of clients’ immigration status, charging between $20,000 and $30,000 in cash, according to the U.S. Attorney.

The following people were indicted Thursday on charges of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud:

Marcialito Biol Benitez, a/k/a “Mars,” 48, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles;
Engilbert Ulan, a/k/a “Angel,” 39, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles;
Nino Reyes Valmeo, 45, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles;
Harold Poquita, 30, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles;
Juanita Pacson, 45, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles;
Felipe Capindo David, a/k/a “Pilipi” or “Peebles,” 49, a Philippine national residing in Los Angeles;
Peterson Souza, 34, a Brazilian national residing in Anaheim, Calif.;
Devon Hammer, 26, of Palmdale, Calif.;
Tamia Duckett, 25, of Lancaster, Inglewood and Palmdale, Calif.;
Karina Santos, 24, of Lancaster, Calif.; and
Casey Loya, 33, of Lancaster and Palmdale, Calif.

The allegations include staging fake wedding ceremonies with photographs taken in front of prop wedding decorations, submitting fraudulent marriage-based petitions to Citizenship and Immigration Services and coaching fraudulent couples on how to maintain the appearance of a legitimate marriage, federal authorities say.

Further, when clients’ spouses became unresponsive or uncooperative, the agency would seek green cards under the Violence Against Women Act by claiming abuse on the part of the American spouses, according to the U.S. Attorney.

“Marriage fraud is a serious crime that threatens the integrity of our nation’s lawful immigration system,” said U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins. “These defendants’ alleged exploitation of this system for profit is an affront to our nation’s tradition of welcoming immigrants and prospective citizens. Their alleged fraudulent behavior makes things harder for the vast majority of immigrants who follow the law and respect our immigration system. Beyond that, by allegedly submitting false applications that claimed domestic abuse, these charged defendants did further harm, this time to real victims and survivors of domestic violence.”

Eight of the people indicted, including Benitez, were arrested Thursday in California. They appeared in federal court in California and will appear in Boston at a later date.

If convicted, they face up to five years in prison.

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