A Cuban U.S. resident who has more marriages to her name than Zsa Zsa Gabor has now been indicted for immigration fraud, after allegedly being paid to wed 10 illegal immigrants.
Prosecutors say Yosandra Piedra Vasquez was paid to marry the 10 illegal immigrants to secure them legal status in the U.S., according to Agence France-Presse. The Cuban-born bride married seven illegal immigrants in south Florida and three in Georgia between 2002 and 2012.
A federal grand jury handed down the indictment charging Vasquez and her crime partner Yoel de Moya Lozada – who allegedly recruited interested customers for Vasquez. They are charged with conspiracy to defraud the U.S. and conspiracy to encourage and induce an alien to live in the U.S. illegally, according to AFP.
The indictment comes as an increasing number of Cuban migrants are making their way to the Texas border via Central America.
Vasquez and Lozada, AFP quoted the indictment, ”did knowingly and willfully combine, conspire, confederate, and agree with each other (…) to arrange fraudulent marriages.”
Vasquez married her first fake husband “J.A.G” 2002, then “ N.E.M.” in 2006, according to In Cuba Today. She married “C.R.R.K.” and “ P.A.G.G.” and another unidentified individual in 2008. She married another three men in 2009, “F.A.G.C.,” “L.C.D.P.,” and “G.M.” In 2010, she married “N.F.R.F.” and finally in 2012 she married “G.M.F.”
“Using one’s immigration status for fraudulent purposes, such as in this case, is a serious crime,” said Kathy A. Redman, Southeast Regional Director for USCIS, said according to In Cuba Today. “This violation of our immigration system will not be tolerated.”
According to In Cuba Today, the 10-time bride is the latest in a recent spate of marriage frauds committed by Cubans in the United States. Cuban migrants are generally granted special protections and treatment in the U.S. under the Cuban Adjustment Act
“Undocumented immigrants prefer to ‘marry’ Cuban migrants because their spouses can secure permanent residence immediately if their petition is approved by immigration officials,” In Cuba Today explained in its report.
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