28 charged in S.C. with faking marriages
S.C. residents helped Bulgarians bypass immigration laws, indictments say
LEE HIGGINS
(Columbia) The State
FLORENCE — Nineteen people were arraigned here Wednesday on federal charges they arranged or participated in fake marriages involving Bulgarians in South Carolina and Georgia to evade U.S. immigration laws.

In all, 28 people have been charged in the Bulgarian marriage scheme that prosecutors say stretches back nearly 10 years.

Wednesday was the first appearance in court in South Carolina for the 19, who are out on bail. The other nine either are being sought, were unable to appear or failed to appear. All 28 face charges that include conspiracy to defraud the United States.

According to the indictment, two Bulgarians and three U.S. citizens recruited and paid U.S. citizens to marry Bulgarians so they could gain “permanent resident status and/orâ€