假结婚申请绿卡可能有严重后果

据移民执法局（ICE）公布的消息（见下文）。一对来自加纳的外国人今日被捕。他们住在一起，女的还是一名移民律师，专办移民法庭方面的案件；男的是一商人。他们被指控分别与公民假结婚并申请绿卡。

假结婚申请绿卡最高可判25万罚款或5年刑期，或两者并罚。

不少人明知假结婚申请绿卡的风险，仍然铤而走险。即使移民执法局不抓，一旦被确定犯过婚姻欺诈，这一辈子都不能以亲属或职业移民方式获绿卡。那些婚姻中介人早已捞到钱不知踪迹。就算被抓到，也不过判上几年刑。比起他（她）们众多的受害人（至少每人损失3-4万美元），看看谁更倒霉
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement
News Releases
July 24, 2009
ICE arrests Ohio immigration attorney on marriage fraud charges
Attorney entered into sham marriage to gain citizenship
COLUMBUS, Ohio - U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents today arrested a
Columbus-area immigration attorney and an associate on charges of marriage fraud.
Lilian Asante, 37, who practices immigration law, and Kwadwo Asante, 39, a businessman, were
arrested in their respective offices in the Columbus area without incident. Both are nationals of Ghana.
According to court documents, the pair is alleged to have entered into separate marriages with two
U.S. citizens in order to obtain citizenship. The pair currently resides together.
Lilian Asante's primary legal practice involves representing aliens in deportation proceedings and
assisting those who are seeking permanent residence.
Immigration benefit fraud seriously impacts the integrity of the nation's immigration system. ICE
aggressively pursues individuals who try to use marriage fraud to skirt the country's immigration laws.
Marriage fraud carries a penalty of up to a $250,000 and/or five years imprisonment.
Last year, ICE made 238 criminal arrests related to marriage fraud schemes and was successful in
handing out convictions for 198 of those individuals. ICE also seized nearly $430,000 in assets related
to these cases. Both defendants appeared today before U.S. District Court Judge Joseph P. Kinneary.
Today's announcement was made by Brian Moskowitz, special agent in charge of ICE's Office of
Investigations in Detroit and by the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio Gregory Lockhart.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Salvador Dominguez.