LA-based Filipino businessman pleads guilty to 'green card' scam

LOS ANGELES – A Filipino businessman based here on Thursday (Manila time) pleaded guilty in a federal court in Boston to running a fraud agency that arranged hundreds of fake marriages to help foreign nationals obtain a “green card” or lawful permanent resident status in the United States.

The 49-year-old businessman and 10 others who allegedly worked for him, including five Filipino nationals living in LA, were arrested and charged last year with “conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud,” authorities said.

The agency allegedly arranged at least 600 fake marriages, charging fees of $20,000 to $35,000 paid in cash, between October 2016 and March 2022, federal prosecutors said.

The businessman operated the agency in the Koreatown district of Los Angeles. He and his co-conspirators, who served as office staff, allegedly submitted fraudulent marriage and immigration documents, including false tax returns, and recruited US citizens to marry the agency’s clients.

The agency reportedly staged fake wedding ceremonies at chapels and parks, then submitted the photos to help authenticate marriage-based immigration petitions to US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), the federal agency responsible for granting lawful permanent resident status.

The accused and his staff also allegedly helped their clients fraudulently obtain green cards under the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) by claiming domestic abuse. VAWA allows victims of abuse to apply for lawful permanent status without their spouses' involvement.

The businessman was the seventh defendant to plead guilty in this case. The charge of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud can carry a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.

US District Court Judge Denise J. Casper has scheduled sentencing for Jan. 10, 2024. —KBK, GMA Integrated News