Massachusetts Man Indicted in Alleged Paid Sham Marriage to Get Green Card for Chinese National in Ohio, Prosecutors Say
A Massachusetts man has been indicted on a federal charge that he was paid to marry a Chinese national living in Aurora, Ohio, so she could obtain a green card, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Ohio announced Friday.
A federal grand jury in Cleveland charged Jingming Chen, 31, of Quincy, Massachusetts, with one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. According to the indictment, Chen, a U.S. citizen, agreed to be paid in installments as each step of the green card process was completed, and he directed the woman to buy a cheap fake diamond ring for the wedding.
An indictment is an allegation, not proof of guilt. Chen is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
THE CHARGE
The indictment, case No. 1:26-cr-00393 before U.S. District Judge Sara Lioi, was filed on Sept. 2 and kept sealed until Chen’s arrest, court records show. It was unsealed on Sept. 15, the same day Chen was arrested in Massachusetts, according to the federal court docket there. The Justice Department announced the case on Oct. 16.
The single count, brought under 18 U.S.C. § 371, alleges a conspiracy to commit two crimes: entering into a marriage to evade immigration law and making false statements on immigration documents. If convicted, Chen faces up to five years in prison, according to prosecutors.
The indictment does not name the woman, identifying her only as “Conspirator-1.” It says she is a citizen of the People’s Republic of China who entered the United States on a B-2 visitor visa in or around January 2020 and remained after the visa expired in or around July 2020.
WHAT THE INDICTMENT ALLEGES ABOUT THE SHAM MARRIAGE
According to the indictment, the two exchanged text messages on Jan. 6, 2025, about four steps to a green card: “registration and notarization, submitting the application, obtaining the green card, and making the green card permanent.” The woman agreed to pay Chen for each step and to cover his expenses, the indictment says.
The next day, prosecutors allege, they discussed “making up a false back story” for their relationship, including when they met, who introduced them and a history of traveling together. They talked about describing it as an online romance and a long-distance relationship, and about saying Chen’s parents had initially objected, to explain why they took so long to marry, according to the indictment.
The indictment says they also discussed a prenuptial agreement, joint bank, insurance and cell phone accounts, a joint discount store membership, and “posing for photographs for purported vacations as a couple.” The woman paid Chen, including in cash in person, it says.
On Jan. 10, 2025, the pair filed an intent to marry in Quincy, and Chen “directed Conspirator-1 to buy a cheap fake diamond ring to use for a marriage ceremony,” according to the indictment. They married in Quincy on Jan. 13, 2025.
On April 25, 2025, according to the indictment, Chen had a preparer submit a Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative, to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the woman had a preparer submit a Form I-485 application for permanent residence.
THE USCIS INTERVIEW
The conspiracy charged in the indictment runs through Feb. 19, 2026, when Chen sat for an interview with USCIS. The indictment says Chen at first claimed the marriage was real, “before admitting that it was a sham marriage he entered ‘to help [his] friend out’” and because the woman promised to “pay [Defendant] after receiving the green card.”
Homeland Security Investigations in Cleveland and the USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate in Boston investigated the case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian M. McDonough is prosecuting it.
WHAT COMES NEXT
The court docket entries publicly available Friday did not show a plea or a trial date. The court will determine any sentence if Chen is convicted, prosecutors said.
The announcement also pointed to the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division, which the department created on April 7. According to the release, the division’s work supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is chaired by Vice President JD Vance.
“An indictment is merely an allegation,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office said. “A defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”
Sources: U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Ohio, press release (Oct. 16, 2026): https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndoh/pr/massachusetts-man-charged-his-role-marriage-and-immigration-document-fraud | Indictment, United States v. Chen, No. 1:26-cr-00393 (N.D. Ohio, filed Sept. 2, 2026): https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ohnd.330728/gov.uscourts.ohnd.330728.1.0.pdf | CourtListener docket, N.D. Ohio, No. 1:26-cr-00393: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74794020/united-states-v-chen/ | CourtListener docket, D. Mass., No. 1:26-mj-07420 (Rule 5 arrest, Sept. 15, 2026): https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/74791430/united-states-v-chen/
Comments