FORMER AGENT CALLS SHAM MARRIAGES 'EPIDEMIC' !!!

[Daanyeer]

Source: http://cbs4denver.com/investigates/marr ... 21765.html
May 27, 2009 10:05 pm US/Mountain

Written by Brian Maass



DENVER (CBS4) ― A former immigration enforcement agent says he is seeing an "epidemic" of fraudulent marriages where foreign women marry American men, then claim domestic violence to escape the marriage and legally remain in the U.S.

"What happens is they enter into a one-sided sham marriage to defraud an American citizen into believing they love him. And once they get in, they allege domestic violence to get themselves out of the sham marriage and to throw off suspicion this was a sham marriage to begin with," said John Sampson.

After 27 years as a U.S. Immigrations investigator, Sampson retired then started up a business in Aurora in January of this year to investigate suspected sham marriages. He says in less than six months, he has heard from 200 men in Colorado and across the country who are convinced they were used by foreign women then accused of being batterers. Under the federal Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), foreign women who file abuse claims against their American spouses can obtain permanent resident status.

"It's something completely different and pernicious and vile to seek out a U.S. citizen and run a scam by them and entice them into marrying them and not only abandoning and emotionally abusing them, but falsely accusing them of a heinous act. They allege the U.S. Citizen abused them somehow and file paperwork with (the U.S. government) … and they're here to stay," said Sampson. "They have an ace-high flush."

He claims the case of Roza Alexanyan, who now lives in the Denver metro area, as an example of this phenomenon. The 51-year-old woman is from Sochi, a city in Russia. She placed an Internet ad seeking a husband. It caught the attention of Chris Hoppel, a registered nurse from Erie, Pa. The two corresponded via e-mail for several years and Hoppel said he fell in love. He traveled to Russia and married Alexanyan, bringing her and her daughter back to the U.S.

According to Hoppel, his wife arrived in the U.S. on May 10, 2005. He says her "green card" arrived May 26 and she disappeared the next day fleeing to a shelter saying Hoppel had abused her. He was never arrested or charged with assaulting his Russian born wife. But by virtue of VAWA, Alexanyan was eligible for permanent resident status due to her claims of abuse.

"And all you have to do to assure you stay is allege domestic violence against him, that's all you have to do," said Hoppel. "I never did anything to this woman except love her."

Hoppel now says he doesn't believe his Russian-born wife ever loved him.

"It was about the green cards, it's always been about the green cards. I look like a lollipop -- a sucker."

Men like Hoppel are now pressing for change in the Violence Against Women Act claiming that foreign women are exploiting it to gain residency in the U.S. via domestic violence claims.

But Laura Lichter, a Denver immigration attorney, believes the claims of sham marriages are being overblown. She has handled hundreds of immigration cases and says she believes the foreign women are usually telling the truth about being abused by their American husbands.

"I'm sure there's some people who might think this is a good way to go, but we haven't seen it," Lichter said.

Lichter contends that American men who seek foreign women are typically controlling and prone to violence.

"Because they are the ones with control and power they can manipulate the system. They can use someone's education and language and culture against them and we see it time and time again," she said.

Lichter goes on to say of the American men who find foreign brides, "They might say they have 'traditional values' or they're 'big on discipline' or 'want respect'. And they most certainly wouldn't describe themselves as bullies, but I think anyone looking at their behavior from the outside would easily recognize that."

There are no recent, reliable government statistics on how many foreigners are suspected of manipulating the American system to gain residency through a fraudulent marriage. Lichter estimates the number of fraud marriages involving domestic violence claims at 1 percent or less. Former immigration agent Sampson believes as many as 1/3 of the marriages between American men and foreign women are fraudulent.


(© MMIX CBS Television Stations, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

[AbdiWahab252]

Wow, Danyeer One must be careful about importing wives

[zulaika]

Lichter contends that American men who seek foreign women are typically controlling and prone to violence.

there some truth to this. these mail-order-bride customers all look like psychotic serial killers...i kinda feel sorry for these foreign women who have to put up with such men in order to score a green card. ouch.

[kambuli]

There is another possibilty to it too...He may have bought the deal from her like $10,000.00 -$20,000.00 you never know who is lying here and you never know how some people like to make money Greedy people Everywhere..