Marriage for citizenship sting nets 83 in Florida

AP/Houston Chronicle:

A federal sting of four companies accused of arranging fraudulent marriages for U.S. citizenship, complete with wedding photos of brides in gowns and elaborate fake cakes, has netted more than 80 arrests, authorities said Friday.

Immigrants, Americans and company officials were among the 83 arrested. The immigrants paid as much as $10,000, while the U.S. citizens were offered up to $2,500, U.S. Attorney Robert O'Neill said.

The couples were coached on how to pass immigration checks with fake answers, even though in some cases they didn't speak the same language as their purported spouse, officials said. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officials who review each citizenship-conferring marriage to ensure legitimacy tipped off federal agents in many cases.

At least one of the businesses kept a standing wedding showroom in its office, complete with a prop cake, an assortment of 10 to 15 wedding dresses and table settings never dirtied with dinner or drink.

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What's love got to do with it? It was a pretty good song for Tina Turner.

The "prop cake" reminds me of the old joke about the one food that can make a woman give up sex--a wedding cake. That is especially true if the cake and the marriage are phony.