Mucahid Calisir, Marriage Fraud Scheme, Baltimore MD, 2015

Baltimore, MD – Mucahid Calisir and Darya Tarasova pleaded guilty to marriage fraud and related charges in a scheme that exploited the U.S. immigration system for personal gain.

Calisir, 29, and Tarasova, 26, both citizens of Turkey and Russia respectively, were sentenced by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar on March 6, 2015. Calisir received two months in prison followed by three years of supervised release.

Co-defendant Evgeniya Yarina, also a Russian citizen, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and faces potential deportation. Aleksandr Mavrin, another Russian national, previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced on March 2, 2015, to time served followed by one year of supervised release.

The trio conspired to marry U.S. citizens solely to obtain immigration benefits, with Calisir’s involvement spanning back to 2008. They assisted each other in identifying potential marriage partners in exchange for economic benefits.

Examples include Calisir entering into a fraudulent marriage with an American citizen on December 30, 2010, and Tarasova giving birth to a child fathered by Calisir, whom she falsely listed as the biological father on the passport application submitted in October 2013.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein thanked federal agencies involved in the investigation for their efforts, emphasizing the collaboration between ICE ERO, HSI-Baltimore, and other departments to dismantle the fraudulent scheme.