Six Charged in Massachusetts Sham-Marriage Ring That Prosecutors Say Charged Up to $40,000 a Wedding
Federal prosecutors say a Fall River woman ran a business arranging fake marriages so immigrants could seek legal status, charging $38,000 to $40,000 each.
Six people from southeastern Massachusetts have been charged with running or taking part in a sham-marriage business that, federal prosecutors say, sold fake weddings to immigrants living in the country illegally so they could apply for legal status.
Five of them were arrested on Oct. 21, 2026, and the sixth is already serving a state prison sentence for a firearms offense, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts said. All six are charged with conspiracy to harbor people in the country illegally, harboring, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud. The allegations have not been proven in court.
Who is charged
- Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, described by prosecutors as the leader.
- Amara Pugh, 31, of Fall River, who prosecutors say worked as the business’s “secretary.”
- Erica Daniels, 29, Chreise Alejandro, 39, and Jaylin Hill, 26, all of Fall River, and Jessica Tavares, 31, of Attleboro.
Prosecutors said Gonzalez paid Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares and Hill, all U.S. citizens, to marry her customers so the customers could file fraudulent documents with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
$38,000 to $40,000 per marriage
According to court documents described by the office, the operation arranged about 18 to 20 sham marriages a year and usually charged $38,000 to $40,000 for each. Prosecutors said Gonzalez has earned hundreds of thousands of dollars a year for at least the last 10 years.
Gonzalez coached customers on how to make the marriages look real, including setting up life insurance policies and joint bank accounts and taking selfie-style photos as a couple, prosecutors said. She told them it would take three to four months to build enough paperwork to apply, and had them sign “contracts” for her services.
During the investigation, Gonzalez was recorded on video and audio directing the printing and signing of a disguised “loan” contract and accepting a $3,000 cash down payment, according to the office. She allegedly told the customer the contract left out the spouse because naming the spouse would be “incriminating.”
Customers often made ongoing $500 monthly payments to their assigned spouse or someone close to that spouse, prosecutors said. Gonzalez also allegedly said she used her earnings to buy businesses and real estate in the Dominican Republic.
SNAP benefits, too
Several defendants claimed on Massachusetts SNAP applications that they had never been married, even while filing immigration petitions for their sham spouses, according to court documents. Prosecutors said Gonzalez spent more than $120,000 in SNAP benefits while running the ring.
“What an affront the alleged conduct revealed here today must be to those who play by the rules,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said, The Associated Press reported. Gonzalez’s attorney had no comment, according to the AP.
What happens next
The defendants’ initial court appearances were scheduled for Oct. 21, 2026, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, and a detention hearing for Gonzalez was set for Friday, Oct. 23, 2026, the AP reported. The harboring charges carry up to 10 years in prison each, prosecutors said. The office called the investigation ongoing.
