The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts has released video in which Jennifer Gonzalez allegedly describes a sham-marriage operation that prosecutors say earned her more than $6 million.
Authorities accuse Gonzalez of arranging fraudulent marriages between U.S. citizens and undocumented immigrants, allegedly charging as much as $40,000 for each marriage used to pursue legal residency.
In footage recorded by a cooperating witness working with federal investigators, Gonzalez appears to outline how the alleged green-card marriage business was organized.
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Gonzalez allegedly told the witness that prospective husbands would be introduced to a U.S. citizen willing to marry them, then left waiting while the arrangements moved forward. “They will come, I will present them to the wife,” she said, explaining that some women were kept waiting for months after initially agreeing to the plan.
A screenshot from a U.S. Attorney in the District of Massachusetts video shows Jennifer Gonzalez describing how her alleged green-card marriage operation worked. (U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts)
She also described a payment schedule, saying the total charge was $38,000. After subtracting an initial $3,000 payment, Gonzalez calculated that $35,000 remained, including a $12,000 installment due on the wedding day.
Gonzalez allegedly warned the witness not to create paperwork that could expose the marriage as fraudulent. “You and I are the ones in this contract, not nobody else,” she said, adding that neither the bride nor the prospective immigrant should have documentation proving the arrangement was fake.
Photos released by the Department of Justice allegedly show co-conspirator Jessica Tavares marrying a Brazilian immigrant in May 2018. (Department of Justice)
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According to prosecutors, Gonzalez also promoted Massachusetts as an especially favorable destination for undocumented immigrants because of the state’s sanctuary policies.
“Massachusetts is best place for you to be. That is a fact,” Gonzalez allegedly told the witness.
She pointed to access to health insurance and other public assistance available to immigrants, while claiming that the state offered strong protection from federal immigration enforcement.
Gonzalez also said she stopped arranging the marriages around 2025, citing a rise in federal immigration enforcement activity.
During the conversation, she allegedly said she owned several properties in the Dominican Republic, which she referred to as “my country,” as well as in Puerto Rico.
“Miss Gonzalez got rich off selling the American dream, all the while investing her money in another country,” U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said at a Wednesday news conference announcing the case.
U.S. Attorney Leah Foley announces the arrests of six people accused of arranging sham marriages over roughly a decade in a scheme prosecutors say generated millions of dollars. The news conference took place Oct. 21, 2025, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Casey)
Prosecutors identified Gonzalez as the alleged ringleader and said authorities also arrested four additional co-conspirators connected to the operation.