By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

THE Superior Court has dismissed the criminal case filed against a man who was arrested for marriage fraud.
Assistant Attorney General Kevin Lynch also asked the court to quash the arrest warrant for Jesse John Stephen’s co-defendant Lili Wang Stephen
Superior Court Presiding Judge Robert C. Naraja on Monday granted the motion.
According to Lynch in the motion he filed in court, “Upon further consideration of the statutes at issue in this matter, the commonwealth has determined to proceed with a deportation action rather than…with criminal charges at this time.”
He did not elaborate.
Jesse John Stephen, who is a U.S. citizen according to an affidavit of the Division Immigration, was arrested and appeared in court on Feb. 26.
He was released from the custody of the Department of Corrections after posting an unsecured bond of $20,000.
Lili Wang Stephen has not been arrested.
According to the government, Jesse John Stephen, 29, married his friend’s girlfriend — Lili Wang Stephen — to help her obtain immediate relative status.
The defendants were married on Sept. 1, 2004 in Superior Court.
Their real boyfriend and girlfriend acted as witnesses.
Jesse John Stephen’s friend Mohammad Nazrul Islam, Lili Wang’s boyfriend, was also arrested for marriage fraud for marrying a minor. Islam paid her and her family $2,000.
Islam was arrested on Feb. 20 and was released after posting a $1,500 bond.
The government has also moved for the dismissal of the case against Islam who now faces deportation proceedings.