
A young Albanian man has been discovered by federal agents to have married in order to obtain American papers.
Albanian Elvis Harizaj, who had come to the US on a student visa, married 27-year-old Natasha Flores from Newark only to change his immigration status, US authorities announced.
According to documents, they were married in 2021, but after investigation it was revealed that the marriage was a farce. This is one of the rare cases when US authorities investigate and uncover such a marriage, while the Trump administration has declared war on illegal immigration, reports Voxnews.al.
Harizaj and Flores were questioned separately, and their answers did not match in many cases. The investigation revealed that they did not live together and that the 27-year-old had previously been married to a Brazilian man, allegedly to help him, although she had stated the opposite.
Both are now under indictment, while the 25-year-old Albanian has admitted to the scheme. Flores faces up to 5 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.