An Indian citizen has been convicted of submitting a fraudulent immigration application in the US.
The U.S Attorney’s Office in Vermont announced the conviction and sentencing of Nasir Hussain for submitting a false statement of material fact on an immigration application, specifically an I-360 Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) self-petition. Immediately following his conviction at trial, Hussain was sentenced to time served.
According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Hussain traveled to Connecticut in October of 2021 for the purpose of entering a sham marriage to a U.S. citizen.
Hussain never saw the woman prior to or after the date of the wedding. Hussain then paid for insurance policies in the name of his “wife,” subscribed to magazines in her name, and ordered merchandise in her name, all to manufacture evidence that Hussain and his “wife” were living together at his Orlando residence.
After manufacturing this evidence, Hussain went to an urgent care facility and falsely claimed he was abused by his “wife.” Hussain submitted the manufactured evidence and medical records to USCIS in support of an I-360 VAWA self-petition, claiming he was the spouse of an abusive U.S. citizen with whom he had been living in an Orlando apartment.
Evidence at trial, including testimony of his “wife” and former roommates, established beyond a reasonable doubt that Hussain’s “wife” never lived in Florida, and therefore could never have abused him as he alleged.
Had Hussain’s immigration petition been successful, he would have been awarded a VAWA visa and potentially lawful permanent residence status in the United States.
Hussain has been in federal custody since his arrest in May 2023 on a wire fraud conspiracy charge. The wire fraud case went to trial in October 2024, resulted in a jury verdict of guilty, which was subsequently set aside by the court via a judgment of acquittal. The United States has entered a notice of appeal of the judgment of acquittal that remains pending.
This investigation was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation with valuable support provided by USCIS.
Marriage fraud in the US
USCIS has continuously warned that marriage fraud undermines the immigration system’s reliability, leading to deportation, arrest, and substantial fines. It has urged citizens to report such abuse, as those involved can face years in prison and fines.
Marriage fraud is a federal offense in the United States and carries serious penalties. “Any individual who knowingly enters into a marriage to evade any provision of the immigration laws shall be imprisoned for not more than five years, or fined not more than $250,000, or both,” states Section 1325(c) of the Marriage Fraud Law.
Marrying a U.S. citizen does not require foreign nationals to wait for a visa, and their status is unrestricted after a two-year conditional period. Furthermore, after just three years of lawful permanent resident status, one of the quickest routes to U.S. citizenship is marriage fraud.