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Month: November 2024

Marriage Fraud in the News

The Justice of the Peace Association has discussed and reported how the number of couples entering Connecticut for fraudulent marriages has increased since the pandemic. In some towns the clerks have managed to shoo them away. In others, there is a steady stream. Unfortunately the laws do not support JPs refusing to perform the ceremony. But JPus provided training so officiants know how to recognize and respond when they encounter suspected fraudulent marriages.

In the News

Some unscrupulous JPs have been knowingly performing marriages between a US citizen and a non-citizen who do not appear to know each other without taking additional steps to protect the vulnerable. These are some of the published news articles after an expose in New Haven, Connecticut.

  • On November 7, 2024, the New Haven Independent released its investigative report about a justice of the peace who was performing an extraordinarily high number of what appears to be fraudulent marriages. US citizens marrying mostly Indian nationals. The couples didn’t appear to know each other and they didn’t live in New Haven, where the ceremonies occurred. Other JPs quoted in the article appeared indifferent to the situation, and unaware of the risks to vulnerable populations.
  • The Mirror published the New Haven Independent’s article in its entirety.
  • A week  later, the Hartford Courant posted a follow-up news article highlighting legislators’ concerns.
  • National news caught the story and conservative commentator Ann Coulter ran a story, using it to promote her anti-immigration views.

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