Undercover Video Shows Accused Sham-Marriage Ringleader Telling a Witness Massachusetts Is the 'Best Place' for Illegal Immigrants

Federal prosecutors in Massachusetts have released a video that they say shows the alleged leader of a marriage fraud ring explaining how it worked. Fox News reports the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts put out footage of Jennifer Gonzalez, who is accused of arranging sham marriages between U.S. citizens and illegal immigrants and taking in more than $6 million.

The recording. Fox says a witness cooperating with federal law enforcement made the video. Gonzalez believed the witness was an illegal immigrant. Prosecutors say immigrants were charged up to $40,000 per marriage. On the tape she works through a payment schedule on a calculator, saying a first payment on a $38,000 total would leave $35,000, with $12,000 due on the wedding day. She says the arrangement should be kept to the two of them so there is no paper record that the marriage was fake: "we don't want them to have any proof that this was fake."

The sanctuary comment. Gonzalez tells the witness that "Massachusetts is best place for you to be. That is a fact," adding, "You get health insurance. You get a lot of help as an immigrant here," and, "Trump doesn't like this state because...the state defends us very much." Fox says she also told the witness she stopped arranging marriages around 2025 because of stepped-up federal enforcement.

The prosecutor's line. U.S. Attorney Leah Foley told reporters at a Wednesday press conference: "Miss Gonzalez got rich off selling the American dream, all the while investing her money in another country." Fox says Gonzalez told the witness she owns several properties in the Dominican Republic, which she called "my country," and in Puerto Rico. Authorities arrested four other people they say were co-conspirators.

Note for readers: these are allegations, and the quotes come from the video as reported by Fox. We have not seen the footage ourselves.