BOISE – Daniel Casado, formerly of Ketchum, Idaho, and Joshua Lee Buell, of Ketchum, were sentenced today in United States District Court in Boise for making false statements in an application for immigration registration, aiding and abetting, U.S. Attorney Wendy J. Olson announced. The two appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ronald E. Bush.

Casado, 33, was sentenced to five years probation, 60 hours of community service, and fined $3,500. Buell, 29, was sentenced to five years probation, 60 hours of community service, and fined $5,000.

Both men pleaded guilty on May 9.

According to their plea agreements, on January 31, 2007 and April 25, 2007, Buell and Casado, respectively, entered into sham marriages with Peruvian women with the sole purpose of assisting the aliens to obtain an immigration benefit. They both signed immigration paperwork on behalf of their alien spouses and attended interviews with immigration officials. Neither man lived together with the alien as husband and wife. The men were each paid approximately $3,000 to $5,000 to participate in the marriage fraud scheme.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).