U.S. federal prosecutors have charged six people over an alleged scheme that arranged hundreds of fraudulent marriages in Massachusetts to help immigrants living in the country illegally obtain green cards and, potentially, citizenship.
Announcing the charges in Boston on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said the operation had run for about 12 years and generated more than $6 million in profits. She identified Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, as its alleged organiser.
According to a criminal complaint, Gonzalez told a cooperating witness posing as a prospective client that her network had helped secure hundreds of permanent resident cards.
Clients were allegedly charged between $38,000 and $40,000 to be matched with and married to U.S. citizens.
Investigators said the group arranged an average of 18 to 20 sham marriages a year. The complaint says Gonzalez, who was born in the U.S., described Massachusetts to the witness as a “sanctuary” state where immigrants received a lot of help. She also allegedly said her aim was to help clients achieve the American Dream, but that business had become harder since Donald Trump returned to the White House in 2025.
Gonzalez faces charges of marriage fraud and harbouring immigrants living in the U.S. illegally. Her lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The other five defendants are accused either of helping to run the scheme or of entering into sham marriages themselves.
Under federal law, marriage fraud carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000. None of the defendants has been convicted, and the allegations have not been tested in court.
Foley said Gonzalez had herself entered into a fraudulent marriage. She also accused her of claiming state food assistance benefits without declaring income from the scheme, money prosecutors say was used to buy property in the Dominican Republic.
Foley, who was appointed by the Trump administration as Massachusetts’ top federal prosecutor, described the operation as sophisticated. She said it had operated with impunity under the previous administration.
“The American dream is not for sale,” she told reporters. “It is earned.”
The case is the latest in a series of marriage fraud prosecutions brought by the Justice Department as part of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement drive. In August, prosecutors in New York charged 11 people over a scheme they said had arranged roughly 1,000 sham marriages, one of the largest cases of its kind.
The administration has made immigration enforcement a central priority. It has stepped up deportations and increased scrutiny of legal routes to residency, including family-based green card applications.
Prosecutors’ references to Massachusetts as a sanctuary jurisdiction also touch on a broader political dispute. The administration has repeatedly clashed with Democratic-led states and cities that limit cooperation between local police and federal immigration authorities. Officials in those jurisdictions argue that such policies build trust within immigrant communities and do not shield anyone from federal criminal prosecution.
Foley said the investigation was continuing. She warned that people who obtained legal status through the alleged scheme could face charges in the future. Immigrants found to have gained residency through fraudulent marriages could also lose their status and face removal proceedings.
The defendants are expected to make initial appearances in federal court in Boston.
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