ALBUQUERQUE - Santiago Aveles, 31, of Las Cruces, N.M., pled guilty on Aug. 4, 2017, in federal court to charges arising out of a scheme to obtain immigration status for foreign nationals through fraudulent marriages.
On April 19, 2017, Aveles and five co-defendants - Yi Lee, 44, a naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Santa Fe, N.M., and Chia-Jung Chang, 39, Dan Zheng, 32, Lian Xiang Deng, 42, and Xiao-Yin Le, 50, all Chinese nationals illegally in the United States - were indicted and charged with participating in a conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. The indictment also charged Aveles and Zheng with committing marriage fraud for the purpose of evading the federal immigration laws.
The indictment alleged that from June 2016 through March 2017, the six defendants conspired to obtain immigration status for foreign nationals by committing marriage fraud. The scheme involved having U.S. citizens enter into fraudulent marriages with foreign nationals in return for financial gain. Lee allegedly facilitated the conspiracy by arranging meetings between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens and assisting them in obtaining marriage licenses, working permits and green cards for the foreign nationals who paid Lee and the U.S. citizens. According to the indictment, Lee allegedly attempted to arrange fraudulent marriages between certain of his co-defendants and undercover law enforcement agents.
On Aug. 4, 2017, Aveles pled guilty to a felony information charging him with conspiracy and marriage fraud. In entering the guilty plea, Aveles admitted that from Jan. 2016 through April 30, 2017, he and others conspired to commit marriage fraud. Aveles also admitted that he entered into a sham marriage for the purpose of evading immigration laws and in exchange for a monetary payment.
At sentencing, Aveles faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. A sentencing hearing has yet to be scheduled.
Aveles’ co-defendants have entered pleas of not guilty to the charges in the indictment. Charges in indictments are merely accusations, and all criminal defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This case was investigated by the Las Cruces office of HSI and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Dustin C. Segovia and Marisa A. Ong of the U.S. Attorney’s Las Cruces Branch Office.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the United States Attorneys
