Ohio marriage scam paired immigrants, poor brides

COLUMBUS (AP) — A federal judge in Ohio sentenced two men who helped arrange sham marriages for Eastern European nationals seeking permanent U.S. residence.

U.S. District Court Judge Algenon Marbley today sentenced Dmitry Pani to 12 months in prison and fellow ringleader Hasan Salohutdinov to 15 months in prison.

Pani, of Estonia, and Salohutdinov, of Uzbekistan, both pleaded guilty earlier this year to charges of marriage fraud and both eventually will be deported.

Eleven people were arrested in December in a scheme that arranged fraudulent marriages for illegal immigrants seeking to evade immigration laws.

All 11 have pleaded guilty and two were previously sentenced. Marbely was expected to sentence the remaining seven defendants later today.