12 family members arrested on charges of marriage fraud

DALLAS (AP) _ A dozen family members spanning three generations were arrested Tuesday in connection with a marriage fraud ring in which foreign nationals paid up to $12,000 each to marry U.S. citizens, authorities said.

Eleven people were arrested in the Dallas area and the 12th was arrested in Corpus Christi, officials said. Four others remain at large.

Authorities said the marriages allowed the foreign nationals to apply for permanent residency and citizenship.

The alleged conspiracy involved various schemes to make the fraudulent marriages appear legitimate. Couples filed applications for permanent residency using fraudulently obtained legitimate documents. Some couples used fake names, birth dates and Social Security numbers, officials said.

Some of the fake marriages date to the early 1970s, officials said.

The four-year investigation was led by the Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force, which is part of U.S. news/" class="autolink">Immigration and Customs Enforcement. Also working on the case was the Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, which is part of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

"We will not tolerate marriage fraud, or fraud of any kind," said Lisa Kehl, the Dallas district director for immigration services. "We will continue to partner with other agencies to ensure that immigration benefits are granted only to eligible applicants."