Dallas Immigration Lawyer Charged With Arranging Sham Marriage for Aide to Gain Legal Status

The married couple were reportedly coached on how to answer questions. He left some clothes at her home, officials say.But love played no part in their marriage, according to federal investigators. A Dallas immigration lawyer has been indicted in federal court for arranging the bogus marriage for his legal assistant so she could live in the U.S. legally, federal authorities said.Bilal Ahmed Khaleeq and his assistant, Amna Cheema, a Pakistani national, are each charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud, according to the U.S. attorney's office in Dallas.The indictment alleges that in May 2015, Khaleeq paid a U.S. citizen to marry Cheema so she could become a legal permanent resident. The husband, a native of India, was not identified in the indictment.Khaleeq, 47, and Cheema, 37, have been released on bond. If convicted, they face up to five years in prison and a maximum fine of $250,000."Immigration attorneys risk severe consequences when they choose to illegally profit by breaking U.S. immigration laws rather than building a profession on following those laws," Katrina W. Berger, special agent in charge of Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, said in a statement Wednesday. "HSI and our law enforcement partners will not tolerate immigration fraud -- especially by immigration attorneys."  Continue reading...