Feds: Sham Marriages Used For Green Cards (WESH-Orlando, FL)

Feds: Sham Marriages Used For Green Cards

UPDATED: 6:57 pm EDT May 6, 2008

DAYTONA, Fla. -- Immigration Authorities have accused some Volusia County residents of entering into sham marriages for financial gain.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement said the marriages were arranged to help immigrants avoid immigration laws.

Sources told WESH 2 that more than six people were paid $1,000 or more to marry someone who was trying to get a green card.

Immigration agents said the mastermind of the plan would get $10,000 from residents of Uzbekistan who hoped to become U.S. citizens. Then a middle man recruited residents, like Schreidel, and paid them to marry people seeking citizenship.

One of the suspects, Christopher Schreidel of Daytona, appeared in court on Tuesday. He said he only got involved as a favor for a friend, but now he faces the felony charge of marriage fraud.
If convicted, Schreidel could spent up to five years in prison and fined $250,000.

Schreidel said he did not get married for the money.

"I really thought I was going to be married to her for a while and have children but it just didn’t work out that way," Schreidel said. "I was duped like a lot of people."

Schreidel was the first of at least six people scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday. He signed a $5,000 bond and was released.

Sources said at least 12 people will be appearing in court throughout the week.

In March, retired Volusia County deputy Larry Humm was sentenced to house arrest for taking part in this illegal marriage scheme.

His ex-wife Natalia Humm was sentenced to four years in prison. She was accused of being the mastermind of an effort to match legal residents with immigrants for money.