A Brooklyn couple, William Jacobsen and Marta Medvedeva, were arrested and charged with conspiring to enter into sham marriages with foreign nationals for the purpose of obtaining lawful permanent residency in the United States.
According to the charges, the defendants recruited U.S. citizens to enter into sham marriages with foreign nationals, who paid them approximately $30,000 for the services. The defendants also coached the couples on how to successfully pass immigration interviews and provided misleading or false documentation needed during various steps in the immigration process.
The charges against William Jacobsen and Marta Medvedeva include conspiring, and aiding and abetting others, to enter into sham marriages with foreign nationals, as well as evading United States immigration laws by making materially false statements in immigration applications, affidavits, and other documents.
The defendants were arrested on November 23, 2018 and made their initial appearances before United States Magistrate Judge Vera M. Scanlon.
The case is being handled by the Office’s Public Integrity Section, with Assistant United States Attorneys Maria Cruz Melendez and Elizabeth Macchiaverna in charge of the prosecution.
William Jacobsen, 60, of Brooklyn, New York, and Marta Medvedeva, 68, of Queens, New York, face a maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment if convicted.
The defendants’ scheme was uncovered through an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
The government’s case alleges that the defendants’ scheme to game the system and reap ill-gotten profits by promoting sham marriages is an affront to those individuals who abide by the rules to obtain permanent residency in the United States lawfully.
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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