Prosecutors: U.S. sailors' marriages a scam

C6R_Mag

C6R_Mag

New Member
NEW YORK, New York (CNN) -- It was a scam involving green cards and greed, prosecutors said Thursday.
Federal authorities have arrested 33 couples and charged them with marriage fraud. Dozens of young Eastern European women have been accused of marrying U.S. sailors not for love but for the right to stay in the United States. The sailors received marriage benefits they were not entitled to, court papers said.In recent days, federal authorities have arrested 33 couples in eight states, including New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Georgia and California, and charged them with marriage fraud.One woman taken into custody Wednesday by U.S. marshals in Queens, New York, was found in an apartment with her boyfriend. Handcuffed and put into a police car, she denied the charge, saying, "It's not an illegal marriage."Agents with the Naval Criminal Investigation Service said the sailors were in on the scam, which ultimately cost the Navy about $500,000."What we see are small pockets of friends forming this conspiracy," said Samuel Worth, special agent in charge of the Naval Criminal Investigation Service in Norfolk, Virginia.The sailors, based at Naval Station Norfolk, are said to have met the women at bars and restaurants in nearby Virginia Beach or were set up by Navy buddies.in some cases, documents show, the couples married within hours of meeting. "I don't know if they targeted sailors, but they did meet them, befriended them, and a verbal contract was formed," said Deputy Chief Jim Cervera of the Virginia Beach Police Department.According to the indictment, the sailors are accused of receiving thousands of dollars in housing allowances to which they were not entitled. The women, most of whom are from Russia or Ukraine and had arrived on work or student visas, got a fast track to citizenship.Some of them received military identification cards from the Defense Department, exposing a security vulnerability, Worth said. "In these cases, we don't know where they come from or what their intentions are."Five of the accused sailors served on the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship. Two others served on the USS Wasp, also an amphibious assault ship. Those on active duty were taken from the ships to face charges in Virginia, which added another cost. "There's an impact to mission readiness," Worth said. "Those sailors have to be replaced, and the replacements have to be trained."Several attorneys representing the sailors and their brides did not return calls seeking comment.A Navy spokeswoman said, "Our sailors are expected to act in an ethical and responsible manner."She added, "Sailors who commit these crimes represent a very small percentage of sailors in the U.S. Navy."Officials said they believe that similar schemes may be taking place at other naval bases.
i was in the navy for 5 years.. this is sad because it is true.
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pixiegirl

pixiegirl

Cleopatra Jones
USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship.... I've been on this ship! Not that it matter to this story at all but I'm just saying....
 
BadGirl

BadGirl

I am so very blessed
This crap has been going on since we started deploying soldiers and sailors overseas, why is such a big deal today?
 
MMDad

MMDad

Lem Putt
C6R_Mag said:
i think its in the news because there is finally action being taken.
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It happens every couple of years around every military base. It's not really "finally" action being taken. I saw a bust in Great Lakes and one in San Diego more than 20 years ago.
 
thurley42

thurley42

HY;FR
MMDad said:
It happens every couple of years around every military base. It's not really "finally" action being taken. I saw a bust in Great Lakes and one in San Diego more than 20 years ago.
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that and since we are seriously strapped for $$$ right now they are trying to crack down on all fraud waste and abuse...
 
M

Mateo

New Member
Reminds me humorously of my bar hopping days in Honolulu.
A number of the bar ladies (Korean and Vietnamese) ("You number one , Joe") were married "conveniently"to servicemen (which made a take home rather an interesting affair).
As MMDad said....been happening since the American flag went overseas..so no big deal.
 
Toxick

Toxick

Splat
Because of the insane influx to the US by illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe. This country is literally being overrun by illegal European women.

Although, frankly, I think it is unfair profiling against Europeans to target them like this.
 
H

HouseCat

Guest
BadGirl said:
This crap has been going on since we started deploying soldiers and sailors overseas, why is such a big deal today?
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Yes, it has. A lot of the military members get taken advantage of too. They get over here, gain citizenship, get education and then divorce the guys. Not all of them, but some of them do. Known quite a few coworkers this has happened too.
 
Dymphna

Dymphna

Loyalty, Friendship, Love
Isn't it kinda hard to prove fraud? I mean, there's no rule about how long you have to know someone to marry them. And how long does a marriage have to last before it becomes "real?"

I mean, say you meet a chick in a bar, she's foreign and tells you that because of her culture there is NO WAY she could sleep with a man not her husband. Let's say you really, really want to hit it. It wouldn't be the first time a marriage started out that way or ended shortly thereafter.

I knew a guy who was from Northern Ireland. He came over here on a temporary visa and wanted to get a green card. He fully admitted to me that he married some fat, ugly chick to help facilitate that. Wife wasn't stupid, she knew the score. Her take from it was he had to help support her and her sick mother financially once he got his green card. Irish guy was homeless most of the time I knew him and slept on friends' couches. Sometimes, when he ran out of friends, he went and stayed with his wife. He even indicated that the marriage had been consummated. Is this fraud? How would you prove it? What is the standard for fraud?
 
MMDad

MMDad

Lem Putt
Dymphna said:
Isn't it kinda hard to prove fraud?
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People talk. You get one person with a conscience who doesn't want to go along with the plot. He goes to his superiors, who start the investigation. Next thing you know, you have 10 guys willing to talk in order to keep themselves out of Leavenworth. They blow the whistle on the whole scam, and 30 people go to prison.

The best part about criminals is that most of them are too stupid to keep their mouth shut. They brag, and somebody turns them in.
 
C6R_Mag

C6R_Mag

New Member
Dymphna said:
Isn't it kinda hard to prove fraud? I mean, there's no rule about how long you have to know someone to marry them. And how long does a marriage have to last before it becomes "real?"

I mean, say you meet a chick in a bar, she's foreign and tells you that because of her culture there is NO WAY she could sleep with a man not her husband. Let's say you really, really want to hit it. It wouldn't be the first time a marriage started out that way or ended shortly thereafter.

I knew a guy who was from Northern Ireland. He came over here on a temporary visa and wanted to get a green card. He fully admitted to me that he married some fat, ugly chick to help facilitate that. Wife wasn't stupid, she knew the score. Her take from it was he had to help support her and her sick mother financially once he got his green card. Irish guy was homeless most of the time I knew him and slept on friends' couches. Sometimes, when he ran out of friends, he went and stayed with his wife. He even indicated that the marriage had been consummated. Is this fraud? How would you prove it? What is the standard for fraud?
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i think him admitting that it was all a sham was the proof. lol. from there word gets around and eventually lands in the right ears.
 
Dymphna

Dymphna

Loyalty, Friendship, Love
C6R_Mag said:
i think him admitting that it was all a sham was the proof. lol. from there word gets around and eventually lands in the right ears.
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But he consumated the marriage, lived with her for a time and supported her financially, that's more than some people can claim about their marriages. :shrug:
 
R

RadioPatrol

Guest
BadGirl said:
This crap has been going on since we started deploying soldiers and sailors overseas, why is such a big deal today?
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I had this guy in my unit @ Ft Carson, had met some girl from S Am. who was here on a student visa .... supposedly paid him 5 or 10 thousand to "marry" her .... so she could stay ..

..... we were all like :shrug: whatever


.... stupid bastard bought an new truck with his new found wealth ..... rolled it 2 months later totaling it .... and then he was back to LPC's
 
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