“Wedding Vows for Visas In Marriage Fraud Ring”
Jennifer Gonzalez (43, of Fall River, Massachusetts) is the alleged ringleader in a recent federal marriage-fraud case in the District of Massachusetts (Case No. 26-MJ-8433-PGL). The supporting criminal complaint affidavit (sworn by HSI Special Agent Christopher Womersley) is publicly available. Dominican Republic Government now working with the US Government re: Fraudulent Marriage Ring That Raked in $6 Million
By Ruth DiTucci | SNN.BZ
Federal agents arrested Jennifer Gonzalez, 43, of Fall River, Massachusetts, and four alleged co-conspirators on Wednesday in a multi-year marriage fraud scheme that prosecutors say generated more than $6 million. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts unsealed a criminal complaint charging Gonzalez as the ringleader of an operation that arranged sham marriages between U.S. citizens and people without lawful immigration status so the latter could obtain green cards and other benefits.
According to the affidavit of Homeland Security Investigations Special Agent Christopher Womersley filed in support of the complaint in Case No. 26-MJ-8433-PGL, Gonzalez charged between $38,000 and $40,000 per marriage and arranged roughly 18 to 20 such marriages each year for more than a decade. The affidavit states that she told a cooperating witness she and her group had obtained hundreds of green cards for people in Massachusetts and that “immigration fraud is all that I do.”
The other defendants charged alongside Gonzalez are Erica Daniels, 29, of Fall River; Cherice Alejandro, 39, of Fall River; Amara Pugh, 31, of Fall River; Jessica Tavares, 31, of Attleboro; and Jaylin Hill, 26, of Fall River. Prosecutors allege that Daniels, Alejandro, Tavares, and Hill were paid to enter into the sham marriages, while Pugh handled secretarial duties for the operation. Hill was already in state custody serving a sentence on an unrelated firearms conviction.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said at a news conference that Gonzalez “got rich off selling the American Dream” while investing proceeds in businesses and property in the Dominican Republic, which she repeatedly referred to as “my country.” Foley added that Gonzalez described Massachusetts as “the best place for you to be” because “this state is a sanctuary” where “illegal aliens get a lot of help as an immigrant.”
Recorded conversations detailed in the affidavit and detention motion capture Gonzalez telling the cooperating witness that she suspended the operation in 2025 because “that’s when Trump was becoming a president” and immigration enforcement had become “a little harsh.” She is further accused of receiving more than $124,000 in SNAP benefits from 2019 through 2026 without reporting income from the marriage scheme or listing household members.
The investigation involved HSI, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General, the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Housing and Urban Development, and the Postal Inspection Service. A cooperating witness was introduced to Gonzalez as a Brazilian national without lawful status and engaged in the process of arranging a marriage with Cherice Alejandro, whom agents believe is Gonzalez’s sister-in-law.
The affidavit recounts that Gonzalez herself married a Brazilian national identified only as “J.P.” in October 2019 in Fall River and filed a Form I-130 petition on his behalf despite his prior removal order. It also details specific meetings, including an August 6 encounter in which Gonzalez and Alejandro met the cooperating witness outside a Staples store in Fall River to sign a contract and receive a $3,000 cash payment.
Gonzalez has prior Massachusetts convictions for assault and battery, multiple counts of identity fraud, illegal entry without breaking in, possession of burglarious tools, and knowingly receiving stolen property, according to the court documents. Several of the co-defendants also have criminal records, and agents believe Hill is associated with the Larry Boy Gangster Disciples.
Foley described the alleged conduct as “an affront” to people who follow the law and “a for-profit business whose sole purpose is helping people cheat and skip the line.” Assistant Special Agent in Charge John Soares of HSI New England said marriage fraud “undermines the processes that ensure honest, lawful individuals can marry United States citizens.”
Each defendant faces charges of conspiracy to harbor illegal aliens, harboring illegal aliens, conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and marriage fraud. The harboring offenses carry a statutory maximum of 10 years in prison; the marriage fraud counts carry a maximum of five years. Five of the six defendants were arrested Wednesday morning; initial court appearances followed later that day.
Gonzalez was held pending a detention and probable cause hearing set for Friday, October 29. Erica Daniels and Amara Pugh waived probable cause hearings, while Jessica Tavares and Cherice Alejandro have hearings scheduled for October 29. All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The investigation remains ongoing.
