01 Jul 2026 Woman Found Guilty of Naturalization Fraud Over Fake Divorce Decree
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that a woman was found guilty of naturalization fraud and now potentially faces 10 years in prison, denaturalization, and deportation. Her crime? She submitted a fake divorce decree when applying for a green card, rather than lawfully terminating her prior marriage.
This case (and conviction) should serve as a warning to anyone thinking about buying or using documents from Recto Street.
In that case, the woman entered the U.S. as a visitor but overstayed. She later married a U.S. citizen, even though she was still married to her first husband. Rather than legally terminating her first marriage (through divorce or annulment), she decided to submit a fraudulent divorce decree as part of her green card and naturalization applications, falsely claiming that her first marriage had been legally terminated before she married her U.S. citizen husband. Apparently, the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was able to discover her use of a fraudulent divorce decree and criminally charged her with naturalization fraud. She was convicted by a federal jury and now faces prison time and deportation.
Many Filipinos may have gone to Recto Street to secure a wide variety of documents, whether they’re fake/bogus birth certificates, marriage contracts, annulment decrees, or even death certificates, for use in connection with applying for U.S. immigration benefits. But you can see that the Trump administration is very strict and now not simply putting people in deportation but also putting them in jail for use of bogus documents.
If you are applying for any immigration benefit, whether on your behalf or for family members, and you have questions or issues about documents you may have submitted in the past, I would strongly recommend that you first consult with an attorney, who can evaluate whether your problem can be repaired, chances of success, risks/benefits, etc. You don’t want to be in a situation where you suddenly find yourself in prison, awaiting conviction and deportation.
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