The sooner the better though...

Submitted by Shömi (United States), Jul 6, 2019 at 22:57

Hi Robin,

Thank you for your reply. Hope I'm not perceived as devil's advocate, as I too came close to being in said position and I certainly sympathize. What I meant by crime was a criminal act documented by police and convicted by judge. Not going into moral aspects of his behavior.

Sorry for being nerdy, but for all I know "Mr Once Was" did not in fact commit "marriage fraud". That would typically be determined by USCIS upon investigation of his marriage based green card application. Deliberately faking marriage, lying to immigration officials, forging documents, paying or being paid for help obtaining a green card - all of the above would qualify marriage as fraudulent. And although it happens a lot, it's rarely prosecuted. The usual consequences involve denial of adjustment of status and a permanent stain on his name. Perhaps deportation.

Mr. Once Was persuaded a sham marriage (romance scam) for his own advantage. Technically it's not a crime either. Even if you sued him for damages, a civil case would be irrelevant to his immigration endeavors. I'm sure some government agencies will be happy to take notes, but the act itself won't entirely blacklist him. And that's a bit of a worry!

Coming back to my original point, unless this marriage is resolved, he remains your lawfully wedded husband, with all the rights to your belongings. I gather there is no prenup to protect you either. I get you're a strong woman and have all the rights to feel vengeful, but it's best done on paper. It doesn't have to cost a lot, as I mentioned in my previous post to you.

You might find that my imagination runs a bit wild regarding ways he can arrive to US, but I will believe everything after hearing about my own "once was" whereabouts. I will not offer details for privacy reasons, but it's a true story. "Once was" happened to have successfully seduced a highly influential diplomat residing in Morocco. She funded his business, bought him pretty clothes, new teeth, put him through language and driving courses. For two years she hosted him at her luxurious, government owned property, paid medical expenses for his whole family, renovated their home, and even casted him in a movie! Stupid is stupid does - he finally attempted to run her over with her own car. Reason? His gas allowance was too low. She survived but that's when she woke up and took to FB to share a well illustrated warning to other women on his friends list. She was weeks short of stamping his passport and taking him back to her home in Europe. She had a lot of executive power and I'm afraid nothing would stop her, other than him shoving his true colors directly in her face, in a way that no longer could be ignored. So much for dodging the bullet o_O

Peace y'all,
Shömi

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