29-year-old Aakash Prakash Makwana, an Indian citizen, has pleaded guilty to a marriage fraud which also involved identity theft — as part of a scheme to evade US immigration laws. US Justice Department said Makwana arrived in the US on a J-1 nonimmigrant visa to work in hotel hospitality and culinary services. This visa is valid for one year and so he conspired with others to marry a US citizen to remain in the US. Makwana arrived in the US in 2019 and continued to stay even though his visa expired in 2020. In 2021, he married a US citizen for $10,000 so that he could apply for a Green card. But in doing so, he falsified a residential lease agreement to make it appear that he and the US citizen whom he married lived together and also added the US citizen’s name to his bank accounts and utility bills. Makwana admitted that he committed identity theft when he included the name and signature of the residential property’s manager on a false lease agreement. When this marriage scheme failed, Makwala filed a Form I-360 with the USCIS claiming that he suffered domestic violence and emotional abuse at the hands of his US citizen partner. He has now admitted that he filed the petition to continue to stay in the US while his claimed were being considered.Kalee Ann Huff, a 28-year-old US citizen, also pleaded guilty to this marriage fraud. Huff’s brother-in-law Joseph Sanchez was part of the conspiracy and he also pleaded guilty. “This case reflects another unacceptable attempt to undermine our nation’s immigration laws, and the commitment of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia to enforce those laws to uphold public safety, national security, and the rule of law in our country,” said Acting United States Attorney Lisa G Johnston.
