# Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Leah Foley charges six in alleged $6 million sham marriage ring Prosecutors say a Fall River woman arranged hundreds of fake marriages for immigration benefits over more than a decade, charging up to $40,000 each. By The Signal Edition | News / Crime Published: 2026-10-21T18:33:52Z Updated: 2026-10-21T18:33:52Z Canonical: https://www.thesignaledition.com/article/leah-foley-massachusetts-marriage-fraud-ring-charges-1fuj3kf Image: https://www.thesignaledition.com/media/48f088ccdf47b3e7fc40a3537fce3594.jpg (File photo: official portrait of Leah Foley, U.S. Attorney for the District of Massachusetts; credit: U.S. Department of Justice) ## Summary - U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced charges against six U.S. citizens from Bristol County, Massachusetts, on Oct. 21. - Prosecutors allege the ring arranged hundreds of sham marriages over more than a decade and made over $6 million. - The alleged organizer, Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, is accused of charging $38,000 to $40,000 per marriage. - Prosecutors plan to work with Dominican authorities to seize assets allegedly sent to the Dominican Republic. ## What prosecutors announced Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts said on Wednesday they had broken up a ring that allegedly arranged hundreds of sham marriages so that foreign nationals could obtain immigration benefits. U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announced the case at a news conference in Boston on Oct. 21, joined by officials from Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, according to NBC 10 News. [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) Six U.S. citizens have been charged. According to GBH News, the charges are conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud. Prosecutors say the ring operated for more than a decade and generated more than $6 million in profits. All of the conduct described is alleged, and none of the defendants has been convicted. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) ## Who is charged Prosecutors identified Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, a U.S.-born citizen, as the alleged organizer, NBC 10 reported. The station named the other defendants as Erica Daniels, 29, Amara Pugh, 31, Jaylin Hill, 26, and Chreise Alejandro, all of Fall River, and Jessica Tavares, 31, of Attleboro. All six are from Bristol County. [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) Neither report said where the case was filed, whether all six have been arrested or appeared in court, or whether they have entered pleas or retained lawyers. Potential penalties were not given. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) ## How the scheme allegedly worked Gonzalez allegedly charged customers $38,000 to $40,000 per marriage and arranged 18 to 20 marriages a year for more than 10 years, according to both outlets. GBH reported that participants would marry a customer, stay married for a few years, divorce and then marry a new customer, with customers making monthly payments to the spouse or someone close to them. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) Foley said the marriages lasted long enough to avoid drawing attention, telling reporters "it wasn't three weeks later," NBC 10 reported. GBH said Gonzalez allegedly coached customers to make the unions look genuine, including by setting up joint bank accounts and life insurance policies. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) The defendants are also accused of collecting SNAP food benefits, housing assistance and unemployment payments they were not entitled to, according to GBH. NBC 10 reported that Gonzalez allegedly received SNAP benefits from 2019 to 2026 without reporting income from the marriage business or other household members. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) ## How the case surfaced Prosecutors were alerted after someone came forward, and a cooperating witness recorded Gonzalez discussing what she did with the money, NBC 10 reported. Foley said Gonzalez boasted of investing the proceeds in businesses and property in the Dominican Republic. [2](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) Foley told reporters the "American dream is not for sale," GBH reported. John Soars, an assistant special agent in charge at HSI New England, said such fraud makes the process harder for couples who are honest about their marriages, according to the station. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) ## Background and next steps Foley has led the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts since January 2025, when she was named interim U.S. attorney; the federal district court appointed her to the post in May 2025. She previously spent years as a federal prosecutor, including leading the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force. [3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah_Foley) Foley said prosecutors will work with Dominican authorities to identify and seize assets sent to the Dominican Republic, GBH reported. Court dates for the six defendants had not been made public in the reporting reviewed. [1](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) ## Reporting sources 1. [GBH News: Mass. fraud ring allegedly arranged hundreds of marriages, earned millions in profits](https://wgbh.org/news/local/2026-10-21/mass-marriage-fraud-ring-allegedly-arranged-hundreds-of-marriages-earned-millions-in-profits) (2026-10-21) 2. [NBC 10 News (WJAR): Federal prosecutors say 6 people from Bristol County charged in marriage fraud ring](https://thenationaldesk.com/news/nation-world/federal-prosecutors-announce-dismantling-marriage-fraud-ring-immigration-benefits-profits-united-states-attorney-massachusetts-october-21-2026) (2026-10-21) 3. [Wikipedia: Leah Foley](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leah_Foley) (2026-10-21)