BANGOR, Maine — A native of Kenya who obtained permanent residency status in the United States by entering into a sham marriage with a Maine man was sentenced Friday in U.S. District Court to one month in jail.
Christine Njoroge, 42, of Worcester, Mass., pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to defraud the U.S.
The man she married, Jason Neas, 27, of Newport, was sentenced in July to twice as much time behind bars and ordered to pay a $2,000 fine, U.S. District Judge John Woodcock said in imposing Njoroge’s sentence.
The judge ordered Njoroge to begin serving her sentence on Feb. 1 and sentenced her to one year of supervised release after time in jail. She remains free on bail.
Woodcock said the woman was one of more than 20 defendants he has sentenced so far in the marriage scam run by two African men from Massachusetts.
“I am just very sorry for everything,” Njoroge told the judge Friday. “I’m just asking for forgiveness.”
Neas and Njoroge were small cogs in what became the state’s first sham marriage conspiracy, which includes more than two dozen defendants in several New England states, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.
Njoroge came to the United States in 2000 to continue a relationship she had begun in Kenya with a fellow countryman. The couple, who never married, split after their daughter was born in 2004. Two years later, on Oct. 16, 2006, she and Neas were married on a lakeshore in Newport, according to a previous report.
The couple never lived together, but twice in 2007 Neas traveled to Massachusetts. Once, het met with her attorney and signed immigration forms. The second time he was interviewed by staff with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Woodcock said in sentencing Njoroge.
“You chose what was not only an illegal but also an immoral route to citizenship,” the judge said. “Although your motivation was admirable, your means was simple reprehensible.”
The U.S. attorney’s office recommended Njoroge serve one to two months behind bars. Defense attorney Hunter Tzovarras urged the judge to sentence his client to probation.
Njoroge and others who entered into sham marriages faced up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
Why does her sentence not start still Feb 1st? She is a criminal.
IT HAPPEN MAINE GET IT
huh?
are you trolling?
Under current policy, she has to be allowed to remain free so that she can vote in November and either attend a family member’s inauguration in January or receive a pardon a few hours before.
Why is she just not deported? More tax money to house and feed. Kenya does have serious problems, but people who want to live in the USA should respect our rules and become legal ciitizens. There is no winner here.
NOT IN MAINE
She’ll be OK as a possible half sister to Obama (he has several half siblings). The same thing will happen to her as his aunt and uncle in Mass. 2 orders of deportation for the aunt who’s been on complete welfare for at least 20 years and the uncle who has at least one since the 60s, and just got off a DWI charge. They are still here with our blessing. Half siblings to a father to his half sister, brother and several other baby momma’s kids, There isn’t a one related by more than half in his family tree. But I digress…..
Probably the most punitive measure would be to make them stay married. That could turn out to be a life sentence.
Bwwaahahahhaaa! serves her right.
now, sentence her to prison, then deport her when her “stay” is over.
NO please do not deport her
why not?
She is free on bail, never gonna see her again. There are 49 other states for her to pull this again.
Give her an EBT card and a “Bama Phone” for her work in adding some diversity to the State of Maine!!
Someone who acquires citizenship through fraud can – and should- have their citizenship or green card revoked. Unfortunately USCIS, under Obama has extended policies that encourage fraud. If you want to see just how bad it is, google VAWA immigration fraud and see a small snapshot of thousands of American citizens who have been victims of foreign nationals. Not only does the citizen get victimized by the foreign national, they get victimized by a system set up to encourage illegal acts. Someone saids no one won in this. With such a small sentence, she won. Other crimes where people gain through their actions have penalties that deprive them of their ‘ill gotten gains’. But not immigration fraud, and not victimizing American citizens. For that, Prez O rewards the criminal.