Ringleader Sentenced in Immigration Scheme that Offered Fake Marriages

Huntsville, Ala. – A federal judge today sentenced a Huntsville man for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and submit fraudulent immigration documents, announced U.S. Attorney Prim F. Escalona, Homeland Security Investigations Acting Special Agent in Charge Travis Pickard and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services District Director Denise M. Frazier.

U.S. District Court Judge Liles C. Burke sentenced Preston Olantunji Augustus, 73, to 27 months in prison. In March, Augustus pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and submit fraudulent documents related to immigration status.

According to the plea agreement, Augustus operated a business, ISE-Interlink located in Huntsville, AL, which purported to provide placement for international students into professional programs to pursue university study or professional career placement. However, according to the indictment and the plea agreement, between November 2016 and August 2021, Augustus, and his co-conspirators Lucretia Bibbs, 44, of Huntsville and Shawnieque Wells, 29, of Huntsville and others participated in a scheme to recruit and pay United States citizens (USC) to engage in fraudulent marriages with non-United States Citizens (non-USC) so that the non-USC could obtain legal status in the United States and ultimately U.S. citizenship.  The defendants also assisted with the preparation of documents to be submitted to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) regarding the marriage, to include directing participants to fraudulently represent that they were residing together as spouses, when in fact, they did not reside together as spouses and had no intention of residing together.  

HSI investigated the case along with the USCIS.   Assistant U.S. Attorneys Russell E. Penfield and John M. Hundscheid prosecuted the case.