A federal grand jury indicted 12 more people from Kentucky, Indiana and Tennessee in conjunction with a marriage fraud ring, according to a press release issued Wednesday from U.S. Attorney David J. Hale's office based in the Western District of Kentucky.
A total of 35 people have now been indicted in the case.
Kong Cheng Ty, 43, of Danville, and Sokbay Lim, 45, of Dover, were included in the new list of indictments. The suspects were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and many were also charged with marriage fraud and visa fraud.
Authorities on Wednesday arrested 18 people accused of possessing firearms, drug trafficking and arranging fake marriages to obtain green cards for immigrants.
According to federal authorities, members of the Red Door gang, based in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles, arranged for foreigners to pay tens of thousands of dollars to marry American women to gain permanent U.S. resident status.
Gangs frequently try to get money through white-collar crimes, but it was unusual to see a sham marriage scheme, U.S. attorney spokesmen Thom Mrozek said.
23 indicted in Ky. marriage fraud plot
LOUISVILLE — A federal grand jury has indicted 23 people in what prosecutors called a conspiracy to set up sham marriages in exchange for cash, free vacations to Cambodia and sex, according to documents unsealed Tuesday.
The 10-count indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court in Louisville, alleges a series of efforts to marry U.S. citizens to Cambodians, with the goal of obtaining citizenship for the foreign nationals.
Those indicted include Sharon Lee Spalding, 44, of Lexington and two Georgetown men: Justin Michael Martin, 25, and Donald McKinley Martin, 27.
Former Lexington police officer indicted in mortgage fraud case
A former Lexington police officer pleaded not guilty in federal court Tuesday to charges that he took part in a conspiracy to defraud mortgage companies of more than $2 million.
Barry Buchignani, 51, of Lexington, was indicted last month on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to make false statements. He was arraigned Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Lexington.
The indictment charges that Buchignani, a retired police officer and son of former Fayette County Sheriff Harold Buchignani, gave lending institutions false information about the prices of six homes he planned to buy, getting loans larger than the prices of the houses.
Feds indict dealers of data for fake credit history reports
Federal prosecutors in Kansas City on Wednesday claimed a first-in-the-nation indictment against people who supply information used to build fake credit histories.
Credit history fraud is a growing criminal trend across the country, prosecutors said. In this case, it was unearthed "operating in the shadows" of a more traditional mortgage fraud scheme.
In the federal grand jury indictment returned Wednesday, two people were accused of conspiring in a large-scale scheme to help others buy expensive houses in Lee's Summit by using phony credit reports and stolen Social Security numbers.
Georgetown man pleads guilty in Cambodian marriage fraud scheme
A 25-year-old Georgetown man has pleaded guilty in a Cambodian marriage fraud scheme.
Justin Michael Martin was paid about $7,000 to marry a Cambodian woman to help her evade U.S. immigration laws and become a permanent resident, the U.S. Department of Justice said in a news release.
Martin and Phearoun Peter Em, who was also involved in the scheme, went to Cambodia in June 2004, when Martin met and agreed to marry Yota Em. Participants in the conspiracy paid for Martin's expenses on the trip, including "sexual services from a Cambodian female," according to the release.
Investigators believe seven people are organizing the fraud, the release said.
The government says those indicted Wednesday are "engaged in a conspiracy to obtain lawful permanent residence in the United States for Cambodian nationals by way of fraudulent marriages and engagements."
The release said the American citizens were offered all-expenses-paid trips to Cambodia, and that the trips included airfare, lodging, food, drinks, entertainment and sexual acts from Cambodian prostitutes. The acts allegedly took place between Jan. 1, 1999 and April 7, 2010.
Sharon Lee Spalding, 44, of Lexington, Justin Michael Martin, 25, and Donald McKinley Martin, 27, both of Georgetown, and Chok Chan, 49, of Mount Sterling were among those indicted previously; they have since pleaded guilty.
More than 15 marriages and attempted marriages were recorded.
Should they be convicted, the accused could face up to 75 years in prison, a $2.75 million fine and supervised release for up to 33 years.
Dates and locations for arraignment have not yet been determined.
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