Delora Taman Bhuiyan and Mohammed Shoukat Bhuiyan were brought to the U.S. District Court for the NMI for their initial appearance yesterday. They were arrested by federal authorities on Monday.
Delora Bhuiyan uses aliases Delora Taman Houssuin, Delora Gang, Delora Meliong Itaman, Delora Meliong Taman.
A grand jury returned an indictment on Monday, charging Mrs. Bhuiyan with two counts of immigration fraud, and one count of false statement, while Mr. Bhuiyan was charged with one count of immigration fraud.
Visiting U.S. Circuit Judge A. Wallace Tashima appointed Michael Dotts and Colin Thompson as court-appointed attorneys for the defendants.
Dotts appeared for Mrs. Bhuiyan’s initial appearance yesterday, and told the federal court of a conflict because he represented Mr. Bhuiyan in a similar case in the local court.
Tashima allowed Mrs. Bhuiyan to be released on her own recognizance, and to follow pretrial release conditions imposed by the court.
Mr. Bhuiyan was allowed to post $2,500 unsecured bond with his 2002 Toyota Camry which he is operating as taxi.
The couple was told to surrender their passports, or not to produce a new passport.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Beverly McCallum represented the federal government. U.S. Homeland Security Investigations special agent Cory Hokama was also present during the hearing.
The offenses were in connection with Mr. Bhuiyan’s application for lawful permanent status with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
On or about March 30, 2009, the indictment stated that Mrs. Bhuiyan declared in the U.S. CIS Form I-864 Affidavit of Support that she and Mr. Bhuiyan lived in Susupe, when in fact she has been living in Chinatown, “with someone other than her husband” Mohammed.
Mrs. Bhuiyan also stated in the U.S. CIS Forms I-130 Petition for Alien Relative and G-325A Biographic Information that her only husband was Mohammed Bhuiyan, “when in fact [she is] married to both Mohammed Shoukat Bhuiyan and Zheng Gang.”
On Oct. 18, 2008, Mr. Bhuiyan stated in his U.S. CIS Form I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, that he falsely claimed he “resided continuously with [his] wife” Mrs. Bhuiyan.
On Feb. 2, 2011, Mrs. Bhuiyan gave a false statement to a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement special agent that she had lived with her husband in Susupe for the past two years, when Mrs. Bhuiyan lived in Chinatown from 2010 until Feb. 2, 2011, with someone other than her husband Mr. Bhuiyan.
On Feb. 10, 2010, Superior Court Judge David A. Wiseman sentenced her to three years imprisonment all suspended except for one day with credit for one day already served after she pleaded guilty to marriage fraud.
Delora Taman and Mohammed Shoukat Bhuiyan were married by Wiseman on March 28, 2007, according to court documents, while Delora Taman and Zheng Gang were married on Jan. 7, 2009.
Zheng Gang fled the CNMI in April 2009, court document stated.
Delora Taman Bhuiyan, a U.S. citizen, married nonresidents so they could obtain immediate relative status, according to the CNMI Attorney General’s Office.
Mrs. Bhuiyan was charged with bigamy after she married Gang “while she was legally married to Mohammed Shoukat Bhuiyan.”
Bhuiyan has also been charged with perjury after “she sign[ed] and submit[ted] as true an application for marriage license and record of marriage representing that she was divorced and eligible to remarry” on Dec. 22, 2008.
The status of the case was not immediately known.
