If you are one of those who think that fake marriages to obtain a green card are rarely discovered, here is a case to prove otherwise and show that the consequences can be severe.
An American from New Jersey was sentenced to seven months in prison for a marriage fraud crime in immigration, according to federal authorities.
Audrey Bonet Johnson, 34, was also sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford to serve 45 days in a rehabilitation center when she is released from prison and to two years of supervised release.
Authorities, citing court documents and statements made in court, said that Johnson, a U.S. citizen, and Shanon St. Aubyn Stephenson, a citizen of Jamaica, fraudulently married in 2012.
“Shortly thereafter, Johnson and Stephenson applied to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services” for Stephenson to become a “legal permanent resident of the U.S.”
Stephenson received a temporary two-year green card in 2021 and in “submissions and subsequent statements to USCIS, Johnson and Stephenson claimed to be married and living together in Brooklyn, New York,” federal authorities said in a statement.
“In fact, Stephenson married Jodian Stephenson, also known as Jodian Gordon, in 2010, and lived with her, not Johnson, in Bridgeport, Connecticut,” the statement said.
Authorities said the investigation also showed that Jodian Stephenson, also a citizen of Jamaica, operated Stephenson Immigration and Legal Services, LLC, in Bridgeport.
Stephenson, between 2011 and 2017, “conspired with others to arrange 28 fake marriages between American citizens and non-citizen residents in the U.S. with the aim of having the non-citizens apply for and obtain green cards,” the statement continued.
Federal authorities previously said that “Stephenson typically charged between $17,000 and $20,000 to complete this process for a non-citizen, and the citizen spouse received between $2,000 and $4,000 for their participation.”
Authorities said that one of the fake marriages was between Johnson and Shanon Stephenson, and another between Jodian Stephenson and an American citizen.
Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigration marriage fraud in October 2021. Jodian Stephenson and Shanon Stephenson pleaded guilty to the same charge; Jodian Stephenson was sentenced to six months in prison in August 2021 and Shanon Stephenson is awaiting sentencing, the statement said.
Authorities said that 10 people were charged as a result of the crime and all pleaded guilty, and “removal proceedings were or are being initiated against all individuals whose green card applications were found to be based on fake marriages.”