Jan 21, 8:31 PM EST

Plea deals reached in actress sham marriage case
By ANTHONY McCARTNEY

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A Mexican actress has agreed to plead guilty to lying in an immigration proceeding and will avoid a retrial on charges that she engaged in a sham marriage to remain in the United States.

Fernanda Romero will acknowledge she made a false statement on an immigration form in December 2007, according to court records filed in Los Angeles.

Her husband, Kent Stuart Ross, also agreed to plead guilty to falsely stating on immigration forms that he and Romero were living together in 2005 and 2006.

Romero had small roles in several films, including "Drag Me to Hell," but is best known for her role in the Mexican soap opera "Eternamente Tuya."

Prosecutors are not seeking jail time for the couple, although it will be up to a judge to determine any punishment.

The pair was charged with entering a sham marriage in April, and a mistrial was declared in September after jurors reported deliberations had grown hostile.

A retrial was scheduled for February. The pair faced five years each in federal prison if convicted.

The actress had been living in the United States for 10 years, occasionally working as a model, before she and Ross married in 2005. Prosecutors contend the pair married so Romero could obtain permanent residency, although they were living in separate homes and were dating other people.

Her plea agreement called for her to acknowledge that she lied in a sworn statement that her mother and Ross "hang out all the time."

At her trial, Romero testified that she married Ross for love. But she and Ross said the relationship began deteriorating within six months.

Asked why he never sought a divorce, Ross said he never stopped loving Romero.

Prosecutors contended Ross, a musician and pizza restaurant manager, was paid $5,000 to marry Romero so she could obtain permanent residency.

The pair maintained separate apartments and Ross, under questioning, acknowledged that he never told his mother or brother about the marriage.

Romero and Ross were due in court on Jan. 28 to formally enter their guilty pleas. Romero's attorney, Michael Nasatir, said he could not comment on the case before the hearing.

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