In New York, a 35-year-old Indian national residing in Illinois has confessed to engaging in marriage fraud as a means to secure a green card or permanent residency in the United States.

Vivek Chauhan faces a potential maximum sentence of five years in prison and a fine of $250,000, as stated by US Attorney Trini E Ross.

On April 2, 2018, Chauhan falsely entered into a marriage with a female US citizen in Worcester, Massachusetts. Their union was a sham, and they never lived together. The marriage was orchestrated solely for the purpose of obtaining a permanent resident card, commonly known as a green card, for Chauhan, as explained by Assistant US Attorney John D. Fabian, who managed the case.

Using his Indian passport on June 1, 2018, Chauhan submitted an application to the Department of Homeland Security to register for permanent residence or adjust his status, referencing the fraudulent marriage. In May 2019, he was interviewed by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), during which his purported 'wife' falsely stated that they resided together in Connecticut.

In a subsequent USCIS interview in November 2021, Chauhan deceitfully claimed that he continued to live with his 'wife' in Connecticut and further falsely asserted that she was expecting his child.

Further investigations uncovered that the US citizen Chauhan married as part of this conspiracy had arranged multiple fraudulent marriages in Hamburg and facilitated several USCIS interviews held in Buffalo.

Chauhan is set to be sentenced on January 26, 2024.