Six women have been charged with arranging “sham marriages” for illegal immigrants throughout Massachusetts for more than a decade, raking in profits of more than $6 million, according to federal officials.
The alleged ringleader, Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, is accused of arranging 18 to 20 marriages a year, charging customers between $38,000 and $40,000, and using most of her profits to buy land in the Dominican Republic, according to US Attorney Leah B. Foley.
“It is alleged that Ms. Gonzalez got rich off selling the American dream, all the while investing her money in another country,” Foley said during a press conference Wednesday announcing the charges.
She called the alleged scheme “an affront” and “disheartening to those who follow our country’s laws” when applying for citizenship as the spouse of an American citizen.
Most of the men who paid to marry American women were Brazilian nationals seeking green cards that would allow them to stay in the country legally, according to federal officials.
This story will be updated when more information is released.
Shelley Murphy can be reached at shelley.murphy@globe.com. Follow her @shelleymurph. Travis Andersen can be reached at travis.andersen@globe.com.
