US Jury Indicts Fake Cambodian Marriage Ring

A federal grand jury in the US has indicted 23 people involved in a fraudulent-marriage ring, in which US citizens were allegedly provided with cash, holidays and sexual services to marry Cambodi­ans wanting to become Americans.

In US District Court in Louisville, Kentucky, on Tuesday, an indictment was read out detailing an elaborate scheme in which 12 Ameri­cans were recruited to marry Cam­bodians so they could obtain visas to enter the US and gain citizenship or permanent residency, The Asso­ciated Press and other news organizations reported yesterday.

In return for taking part in the sham wedding scheme, which al­legedly spanned a decade, the US citizens were plied with cash sums of up to $10,000. Largely unknown outside the US, grand ju­ries are panels of ordinary citizens who can indict suspects after re­viewing prosecutors’ evidence.

The indictment stated that at least one person was provided with sexual services by two young Cam­bodian girls as part of his deal to marry a Cambodian woman, while others were given discounts at beauty salons, the AP reported.

The indictment, according to the reports, alleges that in most cases, a US recruit flew to Cambodia, met a prospective bride or husband and then had pictures taken at an en­gagement ceremony and a variety of other locations to give the ap­pearance of an ongoing relationship with the Cambodian partner.

Immigration documents were allegedly then completed, forwarded to the US Embassy and processed. Four of the “engaged” couples never got married, while the others ended in divorce soon after the wedding.

All 23 people indicted are charged with conspiracy, while others face charges of marriage fraud and fraud and misuse of visas, according to the AP.

The Louisville Courier-Journal reported on Tuesday that John Morton, the US Department of Homeland Security’s assistant secretary for the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, issued a statement saying the fraudulent marriages posed a national security threat.

“All of those involved in these false marriages will be held accountable,” Mr Morton’s statement said.

Chou Bun Eng, secretary of state at the Ministry of the Interior, said she believed the lure of earning higher salaries overseas was too tempting for some Cambodians to pass up.

“They hear people talking about [the benefits of living in the US]-saying it is fun and they can earn good money. So they want to go,” Ms Bun Eng said.

US Embassy spokesman John Johnson said yesterday that he did not have any details on the particular case, as the local official for the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency officer was on holiday.

“All I can really say is that generally speaking, the Embassy does usually help and assist in these types of investigations,” Mr Johnson said.

Ms Bun Eng said the government is trying to stop sham marriages from occurring, but said it was difficult as “marriage brokers” constantly changed the way they operate.

The news of the US indictment came as government officials yesterday confirmed that the recent ban on marriages with South Koreans was due to be lifted.

“If it is not for the Khmer New Year, [the end of the ban] would have started from now,” Ms Bun Eng said.

The ban was announced in March following the conviction of a woman involved in illegally brokering marriages between South Koreans and Cambodians.

Marriage brokerages, which were extremely popular with South Korean men wanting to marry Cambodian women, have been outlawed by the government.

Interior Ministry spokesman Lieutenant General Khieu Sopheak also said yesterday that the ban on South Koreans marrying Cambodia was due to be lifted.

A representative of the South Korean Embassy was unavailable yesterday.

(Additional reporting by Mark Worley)

 

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