WATCH: AG Blanche announces charges over green card scheme involving 'sham' marriages

Federal authorities have indicted 11 people in connection with a decade-long, multimillion-dollar scheme that facilitated hundreds of Chinese nationals obtaining green cards through fraudulent marriages to U.S. citizens. The Department of Justice announced the charges Wednesday, detailing a sophisticated operation orchestrated from New York.

According to court documents, American citizens were compensated as much as $30,000 to enter into bogus marriages with immigrants seeking lawful permanent resident status. The defendants allegedly charged immigrants up to $100,000 per green card, amassing tens of millions of dollars over the course of the scheme. Officials estimate that more than 1,000 sham weddings were arranged, characterizing the operation as one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in U.S. history.

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This scheme was not a quick, fly-by-night operation but rather a yearslong, multibillion dollar cottage industry to criminally assist people who would not, or legally could not, otherwise become citizens of the United States.

Attorney General Todd Blanche described the operation as a "years-long, multibillion dollar cottage industry" designed to illegally assist individuals who could not otherwise become U.S. citizens. The charges come amid heightened scrutiny of immigration policies, including restrictions implemented during the Trump administration. The indictment alleges that defendants arranged fake weddings and sometimes staged celebratory photos to legitimize the unions before guiding immigrants through the permanent residency application process.

"These schemes have real cost. They rob our country of its ability to know who should be and who should not be allowed in America," Blanche stated during a press conference. The 11 defendants, some accused of officiating the sham weddings, face charges filed in New York. It remains unclear if they have secured legal representation.

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These schemes have real cost. They rob our country of its ability to know who should be and who should not be allowed in America.