A man from Los Angeles was convicted by a federal jury in Boston for running a large-scale marriage fraud “agency” that arranged hundreds of sham marriages to circumvent immigration laws.
42-year-old Engilbert Ulan was convicted of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud.
Ulan was charged with 11 others in 2022 in connection to the "agency".
“Mr. Ulan played a key role in operating a fraudulent marriage “agency” that arranged over 300 sham marriages that aimed to subvert immigration laws. It was a systematic fraud on the U.S. government.” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Marriage fraud is a serious offense that undermines the foundation of our nation’s immigration system. Mr. Ulan and his co-conspirators not only exploited our immigration system for personal gain, but also compromised the United States’ principles of welcoming immigrants and prospective citizens. The swift and decisive enforcement action taken in this case reflects our commitment to preserving the integrity of the immigration process and upholding the values that have defined this nation.”
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Authorities say Ulan arranged hundreds of sham marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, including one who resided in Massachusetts.
They would charge a fee between $20,000 and $30,000.
According to authorities, they staged fake wedding ceremonies to take photos that would be used in immigration petitions, as well as practice interviews preparing the couples for green card interviews to hide the fraudulent nature of the marriages.
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The agency submitted fraudulent documents and arranged sham marriages for over 300 clients between 2019 and 2022.
“For six years, this fraudster made thousands of dollars by operating a fake agency aimed at creating marriage fraud,” said Chad Plantz, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in San Diego. “The sham marriages and illicit immigration benefits discovered in this case wasted countless federal resources which delayed an unknown number of legitimate marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, and threatened national security by enabling individuals to remain in the country through deceit. HSI and our partnered agencies will dismantle organizations that look to exploit our nation’s immigration system.”
Ulan is scheduled to be sentenced on March 6, 2024.
