New court filings are shedding light on a massive federal marriage fraud investigation. 25 Investigates reporter Ted Daniel reveals new details as the alleged ringleader fights pre-trial detention.
The filings include undercover video and allegations connected to what federal authorities describe as a large-scale sham marriage operation.
Watch as Boston 25 breaks down the latest developments in this ongoing case.
The woman charged with running a complex marriage fraud scheme
is a single mother of six minor
children. That's according to filings obtained by 25 Investigates.
We first told you about this case
on Wednesday. Investigative reporter Ted Daniel picking up
our coverage. Ted, the alleged ring
leader fighting pretrial detention now.
Yes, she is Jennifer Gonzalez. She's 43 years old and from
Fall River. The government wants to hold her before trial.
The stated fear is that she'll
flee to her native country, the Dominican Republic.
In a filing, Gonzalez's lawyer argues
she's not a flight risk
and describes her as the sole caretaker of six kids in the Fall River
school system. Carrie, the filing says her husband died last year.
Okay. They also allege that the
scheme she was running was complex and profitable.
Yes. The complaint says Gonzalez arranged
hundreds of bogus marriages over a 12-year period.
She allegedly charged her clients as
much as 40 grand to get hitched to U.S. citizens Carrie
this gave them a paid pathway to legal
citizenship in the United States
or at least legal permanent residency and the government's sharing
some video of Gonzalez can you set that up
for us yeah this is undercover video where Gonzalez
tells a cooperating witness posing as a recent immigrant
from Brazil that he picked the right
state to come to. Take a look. This state is a sanctuary.
Trump doesn't like this state because
the government from here, the state, defends us very much.
Massachusetts is the best place for
you to be. That is a fact. You mean for the immigrants?
Yes. Ted, how did the U.S. Attorney's
Office catch on to this? Yeah, this is interesting.
The complaint says that Homeland Security
investigators got a tip in June
and they managed to get an undercover witness in with a wire
Gonzalez allegedly walked the witness through
the process agents watched as he signed a contract
in a car outside a Staples yes there
were contracts involved in all this Carrie and
he handed Gonzalez three grand
that was on a recording we mentioned she's a single mom
several children but where's all the money going yeah
the government says Gonzalez has
deep ties to the Dominican Republic.
And she told it undercover she was buying lots of property in
that country. She called it her country, Carrie.
And tax dollars also being funneled out of the
United States? Yeah, this is a part of the story
that hasn't been reported on as much.
Gonzalez allegedly pocketed more than $120,000 in SNAP benefits.
SNAP is the Government Food
Assistance Program.
Prosecutors say she pulled that off by lying to the state about her own
marital status Carrie appears to have been a lucrative run
but now it's done all right a lot
of Boston 25 viewers interested in this investigator
report Ted Daniel thank you for breaking it all down
