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May 13, 2008 5:21 pm US/Central
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ICE Agents Bust Marriage Fraud Ring In Dallas
Reporting
Jack Fink
DALLAS (CBS 11 News) ―
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents uncovered what they call a 'large-scale' marriage fraud ring here in North Texas.
ICE agents say the phony marriages date as far back as the early 1970's.
In all, 16 people are indicted and 12 of those have been arrested. Those charged include three generations of one family.
The alleged ring leader is 74-year-old Maria Refugia Camarillo. CBS 11 News captured video of Camarillo as he left the federal courthouse in Dallas.
ICE agents say for more than 30 years, Camarillo charged foreign nationals as much as $12,000 each to marry United States citizens. After that, ICE officials say the foreign nationals could apply for permanent residence here in the U.S., then ultimately for U.S. citizenship.
"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."
Antonio Anchondo and Arnoldo Anchondo were also included in the indictment, both declined comment to CBS 11 News.
Investigators with the ICE Document and Benefit Fraud Task Force say the defendants fraudulently obtained legitimate documents and used them to show their marriages were valid.
All of those indicted face a variety of charges including - misusing visas and permits, social security number fraud, and aggravated identity theft.
The judge released all of those arrested on their own recognizance. A court date has been set next week for those indicted to enter a plea on the charges.
The Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, which is part of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, also helped in the four-year investigation.
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