A Chinese criminal gang allegedly orchestrated a marriage fraud scheme that targeted U.S. Navy members to participate in bogus marriages, which allowed Chinese nationals to gain access to military bases, ID cards and other benefits.
The U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida unsealed a three-count indictment, charging 11 in the scheme with marriage fraud conspiracy, marriage fraud and bribery conspiracy.
Several agencies, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and the Homeland Security Task Force in Jacksonville, Fla., were involved in the multijurisdictional enforcement operation that uncovered the marriage fraud conspiracy.
The sham marriages reportedly occurred between March 2024 and February 2025, ICE said in a news release. Once married, the Chinese nationals obtained immigration benefits and access cards for U.S. military installations.
“This investigation underscores the critical role that HSI plays in protecting our nation from transnational criminal organizations that seek to exploit our customs and immigration laws and threaten our national security,” HSI Tampa acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Cochran said.
The scheme was a way for Chinese nationals to evade immigration laws and illegally obtain lawful permanent resident status, along with access to military bases, according to USCIS, another agency that provided key assistance during the investigation.
United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe in the Middle District of Florida unsealed the indictment on Feb. 4. According to the indictment, a Chinese gang allegedly recruited U.S. citizens, specifically members of the U.S. armed forces, to marry Chinese nationals.
Those charged with marriage fraud conspiracy, who each face a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison, include:
- Anny Chen, 54, New York
- Sha Xie, 38, China
- Linlin Wang, 38, China
- Jiawei Chen, 29, China
- Yafeng Deng, 23, New York
- Hailing Feng, 27, New York
- Kiah Holly, 29, Maryland
- Xionghu Fang, 41, China
- Tao Fan, 26, China
- Jaden Bullion, 24, Florida
- Kin Man Cheok, 32, China
Anny Chen and Wang are charged additionally for a sham marriage that occurred in Jacksonville in August 2024, carrying another five-year maximum penalty.
Chen, Cheok and Feng are charged with bribery conspiracy between November 2024 and Feb. 14, 2025.
The reportedly fraudulent marriages took place across the country, including in Jacksonville, Fla., as well as in New York, Connecticut and Nevada.
The conspirators took photographs of the couples to bolster evidence that the marriages were real and they were in committed relationships, in case they needed evidence for immigration authorities.
In exchange for marrying the Chinese national, the U.S. citizen spouse received a cash payment up front, a second payment when legal immigration status was obtained, and a final payment after the divorce, according to the indictment.
“Through the dedication and expertise of our agents and partners, we have successfully investigated, disrupted and dismantled a sophisticated criminal network operating across borders,” Cochran said.
In related cases, Raymond Zumba, Brinio Urena, Morgan Chambers and Jacinth Bailey, former service members in the U.S. Navy, have all pleaded guilty to charges related to the same scheme. Their sentencing hearings are pending.
The indictment also alleges that Anny Chen, Hailing Feng and Kin Man Cheok conspired to bribe a public official. Zumba, who served in the Navy Reserve, has already pleaded guilty to bribery of a public official.
That charge stems from an incident in January 2025, when a confidential source reported to law enforcement that Zumba allegedly offered to bribe an unidentified source and the source’s spouse, who worked at Naval Air Station Jacksonville in the personnel office that issues Department of War identification cards.
The source told investigators that Zumba asked whether the spouse would be willing to issue real, but unauthorized, ID cards for an under-the-table payment.
The source notified authorities and continued to communicate with Zumba, collecting evidence as they discussed Zumba’s proposition to obtain unauthorized ID cards in exchange for cash.
After driving from New York, Zumba arrived in Jacksonville, Fla., on Feb. 13, 2025, with Chen, Feng and Cheok.
Zumba and the others planned a meeting with the source’s spouse after business hours at Naval Air Station Jacksonville. The informant’s spouse let them into the personnel office and arranged for Anny Chen and Cheok to receive ID cards.
The following day, Zumba met with the source, who gave him two cards in exchange for $3,500. Authorities arrested Zumba and recovered the cards, investigators said.
A former CIA operative told Fox News Digital that the scheme could be part of a larger sham criminal marriage operation, but it appears to be “a targeted intelligence recruitment and collection operation” at the U.S. Naval Air Station in Jacksonville.
They were recruiting Navy recruiters and sailors who were aboard a Naval destroyer, which raises concerns about national security. It also allowed the Chinese nationals to have unescorted access to the base, meaning they could have operated drones or gained important intel about aircraft or vessels stationed there.
“It raises major concerns,” the former CIA operative said in a video interview. “You have here sailors who are willing to sell out their country for a paltry amount of money, and they’re doing it from one of our most important Naval bases on the East Coast.”
An immigration attorney, Kevin J. Stewart, previously told Newsweek that immigration authorities have increased scrutiny of couples claiming to be married.
“Any couple that cannot provide evidence of the bona fide marriage factors such as cohabitation, shared assets, shared living expenses, joint bank accounts, travel together, time spent with each other’s family, etc. will face heightened scrutiny,” he said.
In September 2025, USCIS conducted site visits and interviews as part of “Operation Twin Shield” in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area, identifying 275 cases of potential marriage fraud and other immigration violations out of 1,000 investigated. Officers also found fake death certificates, elder abuse and exploitation and other bizarre schemes.
“USCIS is declaring an all-out war on immigration fraud,” USCIS Director Joseph B. Edlow said following that investigation. “We will relentlessly pursue everyone involved in undermining the integrity of our immigration system and laws.”
HSI Jacksonville and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service Southeast, with assistance from HSI New York, HSI Baltimore, HSI Los Angeles and partner agencies, arrested five suspects on Feb. 3. Two more individuals are scheduled to self-surrender.
HSI is working to locate and apprehend the remaining six suspects indicted in the marriage fraud investigation.
HSI and NCIS led the investigation, with significant assistance from FBI Jacksonville, IRS-Criminal Investigation Jacksonville and USCIS Jacksonville, according to ICE.
To report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS, please use the USCIS Tip Form.
