Washington DC - The Justice Department charged 11 people for their alleged involvement in a scheme to recruit Americans into sham marriages with Chinese nationals seeking permanent residency in the US.

The scheme involved setting up marriages of convenience around the country and focused on members of the armed forces, who received thousands of dollars for the arrangements.

Four former US Navy personnel previously pleaded guilty to taking part in the scam and are awaiting sentencing, authorities said.

In one case, a Navy reservist in Florida was paid $10,000 to marry a Chinese woman in 2024, and later helped to recruit other colleagues to enter into similar sham marriages, according to an indictment filed last week in the US District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

One of those colleagues was offered $10,000 to marry a Chinese national, another $20,000 when a green card was secured for her future husband and $5,000 to later divorce him.

The sham weddings allegedly took place in Florida, New York, Connecticut, and Nevada between March 2024 and February 2025.

"To create the illusion of a real marriage, the conspirators took photographs of the couples to create evidence that could be presented to immigration authorities to suggest that the marriages were legitimate," the Justice Department said in a statement on Wednesday.

The charges against the 11 individuals include marriage fraud conspiracy, marriage fraud and bribery conspiracy.

They each face up to five years in prison.

Some of those involved in the scam also tried to bribe an official to "fraudulently create military identification cards for unauthorized persons," according to the indictment.

"(The scheme) jeopardizes the safety and security of our military facilities," US Attorney Gregory Kehoe said Wednesday at a press conference in Jacksonville, Florida, where several of the fraudulent marriages took place.