World & Conflict · The Record
U.S. indictment alleges about 1,000 sham marriages as TikTok returns to government devices
Attorney General Todd Blanche called the case one of the largest; the indictment's alleged scale and TikTok's government-device memos show the record.
Attorney General Todd Blanche said the marriage-fraud indictment is one of the largest marriage fraud prosecutions in United States history, NTD News reported.
The 21-page indictment in the Southern District of New York alleges about 1,000 sham marriages between Chinese nationals and U.S. citizens from at least 2016 to July 2026, NTD News reported. The indictment also alleges fraudulent applications sought lawful permanent resident status for the foreign nationals, NTD News reported.
The Justice Department said foreign nationals paid facilitators as much as $100,000, U.S. citizens were paid up to $30,000 and recruiters received about $5,000 for each recruited U.S. citizen, NTD News reported.
The alleged facilitators and recruiters operated primarily in New York, but they facilitated sham marriages in the United States and abroad, NTD News reported. The indictment lists China, Vanuatu, Pennsylvania, Florida, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Kentucky, Connecticut and Georgia as places where marriages were facilitated, NTD News reported.
The Office of Management and Budget issued a memorandum on Aug. 10 stating that "TikTok may be used on government devices," The Epoch Times reported.
The Department of Justice said in a July 17 memorandum that executive-branch employees may download TikTok onto official devices "subject to the agency's discretion and consistent with all applicable workplace policies," The Epoch Times reported. The DOJ concluded that TikTok's current U.S. download version no longer falls within the prohibited application category, The Epoch Times reported.
TikTok remains banned on congressional devices in the House and Senate, The Epoch Times reported. Congress passed the No TikTok on Government Devices Act in 2022 and the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act in 2024, The Epoch Times reported.
Analysis: The available record does not prove Blanche's historical ranking, but it shows a large alleged operation involving Chinese nationals, about 1,000 sham marriages and payments of up to $100,000, according to NTD News. It also shows executive agencies regaining TikTok access under conditions, according to The Epoch Times. The contrast is between a prosecution involving Chinese nationals and a relaxed restriction on a foreign-adversary-controlled app.