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Pastor Joshua Shonubi Faces 5 Years In US Prison For Arranging Fake Marriages
Nigerian cleric, Joshua Shonubi is presently present process trial in the USA for allegedly presenting false paperwork to a federal authorities company to fraudulently get hold of everlasting resident standing for international nationals by arranging marriages for U.S residents.
Shonubi, who’s the pastor of New Life Metropolis Church, Maryland is charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, and visa fraud.
The indictment was returned on October 20, 2021 and unsealed upon the defendant’s arrest.
The 50-year-old clergyman is anticipated to have an preliminary look on Saturday in US District Court docket in Baltimore earlier than U.S. Justice of the Peace Decide J. Mark Coulson.
The US Lawyer for the District of Maryland Erek L. Barron; the Particular Agent in Cost, James R. Mancuso, of Homeland Safety Investigations (HSI) Baltimore; and the District Director, Gregory L. Collett, of US Citizenship and Immigration Companies (USCIS) introduced the indictment.
Based on the seven-count indictment, from at the very least January 2014 by January 2021, Shonubi, pastor of Newlife Metropolis Church, Inc. in Hyattsville, Maryland, engaged in a conspiracy to fraudulently get hold of immigration advantages for international nationals by arranging their marriage to United States residents who served as their sponsors for everlasting residence in the USA.
The indictment alleged that Shonubi acquired 1000’s of {dollars} from international nationals in change for connecting them with U.S citizen sponsors and facilitating their marriages.
The indictment continued that Shonubi, typically utilising his position as pastor of NewLife, immediately or by others, recruited and groomed U.S. residents, together with economically deprived residents, with funds and guarantees of cash in change for marrying international nationals, then sponsoring the international nationals for everlasting residence in the USA by USCIS.
Shonubi additionally allegedly officiated a few of the fraudulent marriages or organized for a civil marriage ceremony to be carried out in Virginia. Additional, the indictment alleged that Shonubi created and signed at the very least 38 reference letters on NewLife letterhead in help of international nationals’ functions for everlasting residence falsely stating; his relation to the events; the character of the marriage; his position in offering religious steering or counselling; and his perception as to the romantic nature of the marriage.
On at the very least 34 events, Shonubi additionally allegedly created false rental leases, itemizing Jaypro, an organization he shaped in 2015, as the owner, to offer proof that the international nationwide and U.S. citizen had been dwelling collectively, when in actual fact, they had been dwelling individually.
The false paperwork created by Shonubi and others had been allegedly submitted to USCIS as a part of the international nationals’ functions for everlasting residence.
The indictment alleged that Shonubi and his co-conspirators submitted at the very least 60 software packets to USCIS, every documenting a marriage between a U.S. citizen and a international nationwide, for the aim of acquiring everlasting residence for the international nationwide.
If convicted, Shonubi confronted a most sentence of 5 years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit visa fraud and marriage fraud and a most of 5 years in federal jail for every of six counts of presenting false paperwork to a federal authorities company.
Precise sentences for federal crimes are usually lower than the utmost penalties.
A federal district court docket choose would decide any sentence after bearing in mind the US. Sentencing Pointers and different statutory elements.
