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Phu Thanh Huynh, age 33, formerly of Springfield, who pleaded guilty on Wednesday, Aug. 4, married a Vietnamese national, referred to as Jane Doe in September 2018, solely for the purpose of obtaining immigration benefits for Doe, said the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.
According to the US Attorney, Huynh and Doe never lived together after getting married, and that a co-conspirator paid Huynh $20,000 in cash for engaging in the sham marriage.
In November 2013, Huynh filed a false petition with the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to classify Doe as his spouse for immigration purposes.
After the marriage, Huynh made various false statements to a USCIS officer concerning his marriage to Doe, including that they spoke to each other almost every day.
Huynh, who was indicted in 2019 was charged with:
- Conspiracy
- Making false statement
- Immigration fraud
The charges of conspiracy and making false statements each provide for a sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
The charge of immigration fraud provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
He is scheduled to be sentenced in November.
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