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US charges 11 over sham marriages involving Chinese nationals and American soldiers
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Teresa Elena Frontadoin WashingtonPublished: 6:59am, 13 Aug 2026Updated: 7:14am, 13 Aug 2026
US prosecutors have charged 11 people over an alleged decade-long network that arranged more than 1,000 sham marriages, primarily for Chinese nationals seeking green cards, including matches with at least 14 active-duty American soldiers.
About 11 of the soldiers, who were stationed at a US Army base in Kentucky, were paired with Chinese citizens between May 2023 and August 2025, according to a 21-page indictment unsealed on Wednesday in federal court in New York.
The indictment did not identify the military installation or the soldiers, who were allegedly recruited by an unnamed co-conspirator.
At least six service members travelled to New York City to participate in sham weddings, while an alleged facilitator and the recruiter travelled from New York to Kentucky and Tennessee to arrange two others, prosecutors said.
Asked at a press conference on Wednesday whether the case involved allegations of espionage, US Attorney General Todd Blanche replied: “Not as alleged. No.” But he stressed that the broader investigation was not over, saying any further developments would be announced.
The US Army Criminal Investigation Division is among the agencies investigating the case.
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