17 indicted on charges surrounding marriage and naturalization fraud

NORFOLK, Va. - A federal grand jury indicted 17 individuals for conspiracy, marriage fraud, theft of government property, false claims and naturalization fraud following an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS).

According to the 28-count indictment, the defendants were involved in recruiting U.S. Navy personnel to engage in fraudulent marriages with Russian foreign nationals. The Navy personnel would file for additional pay on their fraudulent marriages and the foreign nationals would obtain an immigration benefit. Some defendants made false statements to U.S. Customs and Immigration Services (USCIS) officers. This indictment also charges a number of defendants with arranging the fraudulent marriages.

The individuals charged are Mikhail Loukoshkov, 28, of Dallas, Texas; Anna Nagikh, 26, of Virginia Beach, Va.; Chase Rogers, 27, of Lebanon, Ore.; Jennifer Finney, 26, of Chico, Calif.; Dmitry Dyugaev, 26, of Belmont, Mass.; Ryan Ranalli, 26, of Louisville, Ky.; Mitchell Steadman, 28, of Japan; Elena Soloveva, 27, of Salem, Mass.; Brandon Johnson, 29, of Houston, Texas; Jacques Arzu, 27, of Los Angeles, Calif.; Julia Dronova, 27, of Williamsburg, Va.; Nathan Cisneros, 25, of Lorenzo, Texas; Albina Satysheva, 27 of Owings Mills, Md.; Irina Nokhrina, 26 and Vadim Lazarev, 25 both of West Hollywood, Calif.; Sherri Ford, 32, of Park Hills, Ky.; and Elbek Arslanov, 34, of Brooklyn, N.Y.

"Fraudulent marriage schemes undermine the integrity of our immigration system," said ICE Special Agent in Charge John P. Torres. "These sham marriages create a vulnerability in which foreign nationals may gain entry to and remain in the United States for employment or more nefarious purposes. We will continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that these schemes are thoroughly investigated and dismantled."

"This is a serious crime that will result in serious consequences for all involved. This matter reinforces the need for strong communication and coordination between Federal Law Enforcement agencies and the military to ensure integrity and accountability within our enterprise. NCIS will continue to aggressively pursue individuals involved with fraudulent marriages as the crime reveals several concerns to include security and overall force protection," said NCIS Special Agent in Charge Mark Russ.

"Today's charges are a result of our ongoing effort to crack down on allegations of sham marriages in the Navy," said U.S. Attorney Neil MacBride. "To date, nearly 80 people have been charged with this scheme to pair Navy servicemen with Russian women in fake marriages. We'll continue to pursue these cases to protect the integrity of our military and our immigration laws."


-- ICE --
http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1005/100505norfolk.htm