Odalys Marrero, Rolando Mulet, Javier Manejias, Marriage Fraud, Florida 2016

A brazen marriage fraud scheme has been brought to its knees in the Sunshine State, as three individuals were convicted in a trial that exposed the depths of their deceit.

Odalys Marrero, 51, of Kendall, Rolando Mulet, 62, of Kendall, and Javier Manejias, 51, of Antioch, Tennessee, were found guilty of conspiring to defraud the United States through a marriage fraud conspiracy.

Between December 2009 and July 2014, Marrero and Mulet allegedly recruited Cuban citizens to enter into fraudulent marriages with undocumented aliens for the purpose of evading the immigration laws of the United States. Manejias was one such Cuban citizen who participated in the conspiracy by agreeing to marry a Venezuelan citizen in exchange for money.

The evidence presented during the three-week trial revealed that Marrero and Mulet charged tens of thousands of dollars in cash to arrange the fraudulent marriages, notarize marriage licenses, complete immigration paperwork, and prepare the co-conspirators for their marriage interviews with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

The scheme involved directing the couples to conduct a fraudulent wedding ceremony and submitting supporting documents, such as joint utility bills and bank statements, to make it appear that they lived together. Contrived photos and documents were provided to USCIS as part of the scheme.

Of the fourteen defendants charged in the indictment, ten previously pled guilty for their participation in the fraudulent scheme. Those defendants, including Venezuelan and Colombian nationals, paid tens of thousands of dollars to enter into fraudulent marriages with co-conspirator Cuban nationals.

Mulet and Marrero face a statutory maximum sentence of 5 years in prison for the conspiracy charge, as well as 10 years in prison for each of the additional counts of conviction. They are scheduled to be sentenced on September 26, 2016, before United States District Judge Joan A. Lenard.

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