HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — A woman who was accused of marrying a man in exchange for money so that he could get a green card admitted to the criminal charge filed against her in the District Court of Guam.
Jocelyn Rojas Taitano, 35, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud before Magistrate Judge Michael Bordallo on Thursday.
She admitted to the crime without a plea agreement.
It was said in court that the second charge of marriage fraud would be dismissed at sentencing.
Taitano faces a maximum of five years in federal prison.
She will remain out of prison, as her sentencing hearing has not yet been scheduled.
A warrant of arrest has since been issued for her co-actor, Nam Hoon Kim, who failed to show up at his last hearing in May.
Kim’s mother, Mi Soon Lee, was also issued a summons in November 2020 on a charge of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. However, there is no indication on whether authorities have been able to locate her since they discovered that she fled the island a week after the indictment was handed down against them.
Taitano is scheduled to be back in court on Oct. 7 for a status hearing.
Marriage sham
The conspiracy occurred between Oct. 2016 and July 2019, according to the indictment.
“It was a part of the conspiracy that Taitano and Kim entered into a sham marriage for the purpose of fraudulently obtaining legal permanent resident status for Kim,” court documents state. “It was further part of the conspiracy that Taitano and Kim misrepresented their residences on the immigration petition documents with (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services), which was material to the outcome of the petitions. It was further part of the conspiracy that Taitano and Kim falsely prepared and signed immigration petition documents and submitted them to USCIS for the purpose of evading immigration laws.”
The indictment states in 2016, Kim’s mother approached and asked Taitano to marry Kim to help him get a green card to legally remain in the United States. Taitano agreed and the pair signed a marriage license with the Department of Public Health and Social Services.
“They certified they were married at a Korean Methodist Church in Mangilao, Guam on Nov. 13, 2016, when in fact, an actual marriage ceremony never occurred,” documents state.
Taitano was also accused of stating on immigration documents that she and Kim were residing in an apartment unit at the Summerville Apartments in Tamuning, when in fact, the couple had never lived together. Taitano had been residing in a separate residence with her children, documents state.
Additionally, Kim primarily resided off the island while attending college in the U.S. mainland.
During the conspiracy, Lee and Kim leased the unit at the Summerville Apartments to create the appearance of a legitimate marriage between Taitano and Kim.
Taitano also received an $800 check every month for about one year from Lee and Kim to pay rent for the Summerville Apartment unit. But, after paying only one month’s rent, and with Lee’s and Kim’s knowledge, Tataino kept the aggregate total of $8,800 for her personal use, documents state.
“The government would have proven the language reflected in the indictment,” said Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen Leon Guerrero.
Kim was initially arrested on Nov. 17 in the Eastern District of New York. He has since pleaded not guilty to the crime.
