On July 29, 2024, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) building in Washington, D.C., is shown in a photo (Madalina Vasiliu/Dajiyuan).
[People News] These individuals are accused of being involved in a conspiracy involving marriage fraud and bribery, where they recruited American citizens, particularly military personnel, to enter into sham marriages with Chinese citizens in order to secure permanent resident status.
Voice of America reported that the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida announced on Wednesday (February 4) the unsealing of the indictment, which includes three charges: conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and conspiracy to commit bribery.
Prosecutors indicated that these fraudulent marriages took place in Jacksonville, Florida, and across various locations in the U.S. Participants would take photographs together as evidence to present to immigration authorities, suggesting that they had a stable romantic relationship. However, these marriages were indeed fraudulent. The conspirators had agreements in place where the recruited American citizens would receive a payment upon marrying a Chinese citizen, a second payment when the Chinese citizen obtained legal immigration status in the U.S., and a final payment upon divorce.
The indictment further claims that three of the defendants—54-year-old New York resident Anny Chen, 27-year-old New York resident Hailing Feng, and 32-year-old Chinese citizen Kin Man Cheok—conspired to bribe a public official.
According to the prosecutor, in January 2025, a report was made to law enforcement indicating that U.S. Navy reservist Raymond Zumba had approached an individual, offering to bribe him and his spouse, who worked at the personnel office of the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, in exchange for Department of Defence identification. This individual became a confidential informant and, under the guidance of federal agents, contacted Zumba to discuss a criminal conspiracy involving the exchange of unauthorised identification for cash.
The prosecution noted that in February 2025, Zumba drove with Chen, Feng, and Zhu from New York to Jacksonville. The informant's spouse facilitated their entry into the personnel office after hours to process identification for Annie Chen and Zhu Jianmin. The following day, Zumba met with the informant and exchanged $3,500 for two identification cards, leading to his immediate arrest.
Federal prosecutors have reported that six out of the eleven defendants are Chinese citizens.
If convicted, the maximum penalties for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, marriage fraud, and conspiracy to commit bribery are all five years in prison. The prosecution emphasised in a statement that the indictment merely presents formal charges, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
In related cases, Zumba and three other former U.S. Navy personnel have pleaded guilty to charges of participating in the same criminal conspiracy and are currently awaiting sentencing decisions.
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