WOMAN CHARGED WITH MARRIAGE FRAUD
Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Linda Swacina District Director, U.S. Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services (CIS), announced that defendant Adrianna Landa Beamon was charged in a criminal complaint with marriage fraud, in violation of Title 8, United States Code, Section 1325(c) and Title 18, United States Code, Section 2. The defendant appeared in federal court today for her initial appearance, and was released on bond. Her arraignment is scheduled for November 4, 2011.
According to the criminal complaint and affidavit filed in court, on June 17, 2004, Owen Mcnish, a citizen of Colombia, entered the United States on a visitor visa. On December 6, 2010, defendant Beamon, a United States citizen, married Owen Mcnish in West Palm Beach, Florida. Thereafter, on April 6, 2011, Beamon submitted to CIS an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative on behalf of her purported husband Owen Mcnish. In support of the I-130 Petition, Owen Mcnish submitted an Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status (Form I-485), naming Adrianna Landa Beamon as his wife. Adrianna Landa Beamon also submitted an Affidavit of Support (Form I-864), as a sponsor for Mcnish. All three forms were sent to the National Benefit Center, in Missouri, which processed the form and forwarded them to the CIS Office in Royal Palm Beach, Florida, for review.
According to the complaint affidavit, on June 16, 2011, the National Benefit Center scheduled an interview for Adrianna Landa Beamon and Owen Mcnish at the CIS office in Royal Palm Beach. On July 19, 2011, Mcnish and Beamon appeared for their scheduled interview. Owen Mcnish was seeking approval of I-130 Petition, which would change his immigration status to immediate relative for purposes of admission into the United States.
During the interview, Beamon and McNish failed to produce requested documentation confirming that they lived together as husband and wife and gave inconsistent responses when asked the same questions about their marriage and relationship. Ultimately, Beamon admitted that she entered into a sham marriage with Owen Mcnish in exchange for $10,000.
Mr. Ferrer thanked the Bureau of Citizenship and Immigration Services for their work on this case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William T. Zloch.
A criminal complaint is merely an accusation and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
