NEW YORK (AP) – A New York woman is accused of having fake marriages with 10 men as part of an immigration scam, including one who was deported in 2006 after a Joint Terrorism Task Force investigation into threatening statements against the U.S.
Liana Barrientos pleaded not guilty Friday to two counts of filing a false instrument – a marriage application and license – in the Bronx. She and her lawyer refused to comment afterward.
Assistant District Attorney Jessica Lupo said during one period, Barrientos was supposedly married to eight men at the same time in the New York City area.
The case was brought to the district attorney’s attention by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security’s Investigation Division.
Prosecutors say the fake grooms were natives of Egypt, Turkey, Georgia, Pakistan, Mali, the Czech Republic and Bangladesh.