Family members charged in longtime marriage fraud ring

09:48 AM CDT on Wednesday, May 14, 2008
By JASON TRAHAN / The Dallas Morning News
jtrahan@dallasnews.com

Three generations of an extended North Texas family are accused of running an elaborate marriage fraud ring that helped illegal immigrants from Brazil and Mexico remain in the country by marrying U.S. citizens for a fee of up to $12,000.

Although some of the marriages date back to the 1970s, the investigation began in 2004 when someone tipped authorities to the scam, officials say. They did not estimate how many couples were married and divorced by the group, based in Fort Worth.

"That's still under investigation," said Carl Rusnok, a Dallas spokesman for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, which is leading the investigation. "But after more than 30 years of organizing fraud marriages, it's a very significant case."

One co-defendant, 34-year-old Diana De Leon, is accused of walking down the aisle two dozen times and stating on immigration forms that she had never been married, according to a 29-count indictment announced Tuesday.

Sixteen people, the youngest of whom is 25, are charged in the indictment, which names 70-year-old Maria Refugia Camarillo as the alleged ringleader. Born on the Fourth of July in 1937, the U.S. citizen served as the contact for dozens of illegal immigrants seeking fraudulent marriages, prosecutors say.

Known as "Cuca," Mrs. Camarillo ran the operation out of her house in the 2800 block of South Burchill Road in Fort Worth, federal authorities say. The house is valued at $39,000, according to county records.

Family members could not be reached by phone Tuesday at the house, which the government is attempting to seize.

Charges in the case include conspiracy to commit fraud in connection with immigration documents, fraud and misuse of visas, Social Security fraud and aggravated identity theft. If convicted, the defendants face punishments ranging from two to 10 years in federal prison for each of the charges, as well as a $250,000 fine.

Federal agents arrested 10 suspects Tuesday in addition to Mrs. Camarillo and Ms. De Leon. They are to be arraigned Monday in Dallas before U.S. Magistrate Judge William Sanderson.

Four alleged co-conspirators are still at large.

None of the defendants had attorneys listed on the court docket Tuesday.

In September, a government informant met with Mrs. Camarillo, who promised to arrange a marriage "within days" of receiving half the $12,000 fee.

She gave the informant a business card bearing the name of her 44-year-old son, co-defendant Oscar Hernandez, who she said "could provide any documentation he needed to complete his immigration forms," according to the indictment.

Newlyweds, some of whom used fake identities, usually opted for ceremonies performed by justices of the peace. After the bogus ceremony, the indictment says, the couples "had no intention of residing together" as husband and wife.

In lieu of a honeymoon, the couples faked government forms and rehearsed what to say at immigration hearings and interviews, prosecutors say.

Once the marriage was on file with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service, the network submitted altered divorce decrees in Dallas and Tarrant counties, officials said.

Satisfied customers got $200 for referring new illegal immigrants to the network, prosecutors allege.

The four-year investigation is an effort of the immigration agency's Document and Benefit Fraud Task Forces, created two years ago to shore up vulnerabilities in the nation's immigration system.

Last week, in a similar operation in Florida, more than 80 people were arrested in a marriage fraud investigation dubbed "Operation Knot So Fast." Officials found fake wedding cakes and a stockpile of wedding dresses, which were used to fake pictures submitted as part of immigration documentation.

Authorities say marriage fraud rings can compromise national security because U.S. citizens often aren't fully aware of the backgrounds of the foreign citizens they are paid to help bring into the country.

"The fraud allows aliens to bypass the normal immigration procedure to obtain permanent residency," said Richard Roper, U.S. attorney for the Northern District of Texas. "It's not fair to the millions of aliens who are waiting patiently to process into our country legally."