11 people in Florida charged in marriage fraud scheme involving recruiting U.S. service members for marriage Chinese citizens.

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said the scheme was orchestrated by a Chinese transnational ring that recruited military members to participate in fraudulent marriages so that Chinese citizens could obtain immigration benefits and access cards to U.S. military installations.

“This investigation highlights the critical role HSI (Homeland Security Investigations) plays in protecting our nation from transnational criminal organizations that seek to exploit our customs and immigration laws and threaten our national security,” said HSI Tampa Acting Special Agent in Charge Michael Cochran. “Through the dedication and expertise of our agents and partners, we successfully investigated, disrupted and disrupted a complex cross-border criminal network.”

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On April 25, 2024, the American and Chinese flags were flying inside the Peace Hotel in Shanghai, China. Federal prosecutors allege that a Chinese gang recruited American service members to marry Chinese citizens through marriage fraud. (Wang Gang/VCG via Getty Images)

Sham marriages occurred across the country, including in Jacksonville, Florida, New York, Connecticut and Nevada.

To confirm that these marriages were real, the suspects took photos of the couple to create evidence that could be submitted to immigration authorities that they were in love, committed relationship.

In fact, the suspects had agreed to a payment plan whereby the U.S. citizen spouse would receive a cash payment upon marrying a Chinese citizen, a second payment upon obtaining legal immigration status, and a final payment upon divorce.

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An aerial view of the USS Gerald R. Ford and USS Dwight D. Eisenhower aircraft carriers in the eastern Mediterranean on November 3, 2023. (Photo by USNavy Janae Chambers/Handout/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Between March 2024 and February 2025, five people were charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud:

• Anny Chen, 54, New York. She was also charged with marriage fraud and conspiracy to commit bribery.
• Kiah Holly, 29, from Maryland.
• Kin Man Cheok, 32, of China, is also charged with conspiracy to commit bribery between November 2024 and February 14, 2025.
• Hailing Feng, 27, of New York, was also charged with conspiracy to commit bribery.
• Fang Xionghu, 41 years old, Chinese.

Former U.S. Navy service members Raymond Zumba, Brinio Urena, Morgan Chambers and Jacinth Bailey all pleaded guilty to charges related to the same scheme. Their sentencing is pending.

Federal prosecutors also charged Annie Chen, Hailing Feng and Wenzhuo Jin with conspiring to bribe a public official. Zumba was naval reserve, He allegedly offered bribes to an unidentified source and his spouse, who worked in the personnel office at Naval Air Station Jacksonville and were responsible for issuing War Department identification cards.

Zumba allegedly asked the spouse if he would produce a real but unauthorized ID to make a private payment. The source reported the plan to authorities and continued to communicate with Zumba.

A Muslim man from Malaysia secretly married an 11-year-old girl. (iStock)

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On February 13, 2025, Zumba drove from New York to Jacksonville with Anny Chen, Feng and Cheok.

He took them to Jacksonville Naval Air Station, where the source’s spouse let them into the personnel office during off-duty hours and went through the process of getting ID cards for Chen and Zhuo. The next day, Zumba met with the source, who gave him two cards in exchange for $3,500.

Zumba was quickly arrested and the card recovered, authorities said.