Army sergeant found guilty of arranging sham marriages between soldiers and foreign nationals
By marrying soldiers, the foreign nationals were seeking legal status in the United States to which they were not entitled.
A soldier was convicted in federal court of conspiring to commit marriage fraud and making a false statement in an immigration matter, a U.S. attorney said.
Edward Kumi Anguah, a sergeant who lives in Fayetteville, was found guilty after a two-day trial before Chief United States District Judge Terrence W. Boyle, according to a statement released Thursday by U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon Jr. Anguah faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, the statement said.
Evidence during the trial showed that Anguah conspired with foreign nationals to engage in fraudulent marriages with soldiers, according to the statement. By marrying soldiers, the foreign nationals were seeking legal status in the United States to which they were not entitled, it said.
Anguah also filed a false statement with United States Citizenship and Immigration Services on behalf of one of the foreign nationals, the statement said.
Homeland Security Investigations, the Army Criminal Investigation Division at Fort Bragg, and the Hoke County Sheriff's Office investigated the case, according to the statement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabriel Diaz represented the government during the trial, it said.
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