SAN DIEGO — A federal jury in Boston convicted Engilbert Ulan, 42, a Philippine national living in Los Angeles, for his role in orchestrating a large-scale marriage fraud operation that facilitated hundreds of sham marriages designed to evade U.S. immigration laws. The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, and U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) in San Diego.
Ulan was found guilty of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and immigration document fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper has set sentencing for March 6, 2024. Ulan was arrested in April 2022 alongside 11 others tied to the fraudulent marriage agency run by Marcialito “Mars” Benitez.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy condemned the scheme, stating, “Mr. Ulan played a key role in running a fraudulent marriage agency that arranged over 300 sham marriages to undermine immigration laws. This was a systematic fraud on the U.S. government. Marriage fraud is a serious offense that threatens the integrity of our immigration system.”
FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Jodi Cohen added, “Becoming an American citizen is an honor, but Mr. Ulan made a mockery of that process. This conviction sends a clear message that law enforcement is united in dismantling criminal enterprises that exploit our laws.”
The agency arranged marriages between foreign nationals and U.S. citizens, charging between $20,000 and $30,000 in cash. They staged fake wedding ceremonies at various locations, including chapels and parks, often using online officiants. The agency also fabricated supporting documents to prove the legitimacy of the marriages during immigration interviews.
Starting around 2019, Ulan operated out of offices in Los Angeles with Benitez and others. He coached couples to provide consistent, false answers during green card interviews and helped create fraudulent documents. Ulan also rented out his address to clients living elsewhere to make it appear they resided with their sham spouses.
From December 2019 to March 2022, the scheme arranged and submitted fraudulent documents for more than 300 sham marriages. Ulan is the tenth defendant convicted; nine others pleaded guilty, including Benitez, who pleaded guilty in September 2023.
Convictions carry penalties of up to five years in prison, supervised release, and fines up to $250,000. The case is prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys David M. Holcomb and Leslie A. Wright.
HSI, the primary investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, leads efforts against transnational crime and fraud, with thousands of agents working across the U.S. and internationally.
