FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT
AUSA VICKIE E. LEDUC or
MARCIA MURPHY at 410-209-4885
NOVEMBER 19, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FREDERICK MAN PLEADS GUILTY IN MARRIAGE FRAUD SCHEME
Married Nine Immigrant Women So They Could Become Lawful Permanent Residents
Baltimore, Maryland - James Adjei Kyem, age 52, of Frederick, Maryland pleaded guilty today to marriage fraud, perjury and passport fraud connected to a scheme in which Kyem married immigrants and later filed immigration applications so they could become lawful permanent residents, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.
According to the statement of facts submitted as part of his guilty plea, Kyem is a naturalized U.S. citizen, having obtained his citizenship through his marriage in 1984 to a female described by the initials “TAO” who was a naturalized U.S. citizen in New York City. From 1996 through April 2007, Kyem lived, or claimed in official government documents, to live at more than 21 different addresses in Maryland, New York, Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Virginia. During that time, Kyem married nine different immigrant women in those states, the first one while he was still married to “TAO”, whom he divorced in 1997. In each case, shortly after the marriage Kyem would file forms to change the woman’s immigration status to lawful permanent resident, falsely stating his marital status and that he did not gain permanent resident status through marriage to a U.S. citizen. Kyem entered into sham marriages with the immigrant women so that they could become lawful permanent residents. Kyem also filed an alien “fiancee” petition for another woman in December 2006.
For example, on July 7, 2006, Kyem married “DOA” in Frederick County, Maryland, and the next month filed forms seeking to change DOA’s legal status to lawful permanent resident, making false statements under oath and under the penalty of perjury regarding his address and names of prior wives. On October 13, 2006, Kyem made false statements under oath and under the penalty of perjury during an interview with United States immigration authorities regarding his addresses and prior marriages. The government contends that Kyem received payment from “DOA” as well as some of the other women for his assistance. In May 2007, Kyem also attempted to use, and furnish to DOA, his passport, which was obtained based on an application filed in March 2002 that contained false statements regarding Kyem’s marital status.
Kyem faces a maximum sentence of 5 years in prison for marriage fraud; 10 years in prison for perjury; and 10 years in prison for passport fraud. U.S. District Judge Andre M. Davis has scheduled sentencing for February 11, 2008 at 10:00 a.m.
United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ Office of Fraud Detection and National Security, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the Department of State, Bureau of Diplomatic Security for their investigative work. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sandra Wilkinson and Solette Magnelli, who are prosecuting the case.