Seventeen people have been accused of taking part in a scheme that paired Russian woman and U.S. Navy personnel in bogus marriages, federal prosecutors in Virginia said.
All of the defendants charged in the 28-count indictment have been arrested.
The indictment is the “result of our ongoing effort to crack down on allegations of sham marriages in the Navy,” said U.S. Attorney Neil H. MacBride. The 17 indicted Wednesday are among 80 who have been charged in similar schemes, MacBride said.
The Russian women charged in the scheme obtained U.S citizenship because they married U.S. citizens. The Navy personnel in turn earned additional pay because they were married.
— Freeman Klopott
