FL - Five accused of immigration fraud in Broward

By Wayne K. Roustan, Sun Sentinel

8:49 p.m. EST, February 5, 2014

Five people have been arrested and accused of immigration fraud through sham marriages, according to U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer.

Branko Likic, 35, and Heather Bennett, 30, both of Fort Lauderdale; Srdjan Jovcic, 50, of Hollywood and Wallington, N.J.; Goran Bjelovic, 44, of Aventura, and Ljiljana Aleksic, 54, of Orlando are accused of marriage fraud and doctoring visas, work permits and other documents, prosecutors said.

Bjelovic, Likic and Bennett appeared in Fort Lauderdale federal court immediately after their arrests Wednesday morning. Jovcic was arrested in Wallington and Aleksic was arrested in Orlando, law enforcement officials said.

Bjelovic and Aleksic arranged to be married in Orlando, on Nov. 16, 2010, shortly after Aleksic took the civics test to become a U.S. citizen. Aleksic then filed a petition on behalf of Bjelovic so he could become a resident alien, according to the indictment.

Bennett traveled from South Carolina to Florida in September 2010 so she and Likic could sign a marriage license in Broward County. Bennett then filed a petition three times in 2011 on behalf of Likic for his resident alien status, the indictment stated.

Jovcic obtained a U.S. passport and Florida driver's license through marriage fraud and by concealing his arrest and conviction history, according to court records.

If convicted of the conspiracies, all face a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine. If found guilty of possession and use of a passport or other documents, Bjelovic and Jovcic face up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.

http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/bro...,5969372.story