FOUR people have been jailed for more than six years for their part in a sham marriage scam involving Nigerian and Dutch nationals.

The UK Border Agency (UKBA) investigation, working with Essex Police and other forces, was triggered when officers identified the suspicious travel patterns of passengers flying in and out of Stansted and Luton airports on tickets bought by Adeolu Eletu, a 29-year-old Nigerian.

On 10 February, officers from the UK Border Agency’s Immigration Crime Team (East), arrested Daniloush Solano, a 21-year-old Dutch woman, at Luton Airport as she attempted to board a flight to Amsterdam.

Investigations revealed that earlier that day Solano had married Eletu at a church in Wood Green, London.

Eletu was subsequently arrested on February 27 at his home address in Falcon Brae, Livingston.

His Nigerian girlfriend Helen Omoboye, 33, was also arrested.

Sylvernus Ogungbade, a 36-year-old Nigerian, was also arrested on February 10 after officers established that Solano had caught her taxi to Luton Airport from his home in Goldbeater’s Grove, Edgware.

Immigration checks revealed that Ogungbade, who was living alone, had recently applied for a visa on the back of his marriage to a Dutch woman who is still wanted by the UK Border Agency.

On Thursday at Luton Crown Court, Eletu, Ogungbade and Omoboye pleaded guilty to conspiring to breach the UK’s immigration laws. Eletu and Omoboye also pleaded guilty to perjury charges.

Eletu was sentenced to two years eight months, Omoboye was sentenced to 18 months and Ogungbade was sentenced to a year and eight months.

Solano had pleaded guilty to charges of conspiring to breach the UK’s immigration laws and perjury at an earlier hearing on June 10. She was sentenced to 12 months.

Detective sergeant Andy Harvey, of Essex Police, said: “We started profiling passengers coming into Stansted Airport who only stayed in the country for 24 hours.

“This included young women coming in from Holland who when stopped and searched were found to be in possession of large sums of money.

“Through further enquiries and good police and partnership work with the UKBA, arrests were made in London and the Home Counties.

“We hope that these prison sentences will send a strong message to anyone else considering attempting to commit crime through Stansted Airport.”

              http://www.eveningstar.co.uk/news/four_jailed_for_sham_marriage_scam_1_504714


24 June 2010

A Nigerian man has been jailed for 18 months after admitting he entered into a sham marriage in a bid to undermine the UK's immigration laws.

Olumuyiwa Otti, 40, pleaded guilty at Coventry Crown Court to a charge of providing a false statement to obtain a marriage certificate and seeking to obtain leave to remain in the UK by deception.

Otti, an illegal entrant to the UK, was arrested by officers from the UK Border Agency's immigration crime team on 7 January 2010 when he reported to a UK Border Agency office in Solihull. He was remanded into custody.

Officers were acting on intelligence that Otti had given a false address to the registrar of St John the Divine Church, Willenhall, Coventry before marrying a French woman at the church on 14 September 2009.

When questioned by UK Border Agency officers the French woman admitted taking part in a sham marriage and that Otti had paid her £3,000 to do so.

Sam Bullimore, UK Border Agency assistant director, said:
'The sentence handed down today shows how seriously we, and the courts, take these kinds of attempts to undermine our immigration laws. We will not tolerate immigration abuse and, as this conviction demonstrates, our immigration crime teams are creating a hostile environment for those who break the immigration laws.

'Sham marriages are not just about getting a ticket to the UK. Offenders are also involved in other forms of criminality. If we uncover marriages that are not genuine, we will challenge them and prosecute where appropriate. Our main aim is to identify those who are the organisers of sham marriages and destroy their criminal business.

'People should be under no illusion that marriage alone is enough to get permission to stay in the UK. Couples must also prove to the UK Border Agency that they have been in a genuine relationship for at least two years.'
Otti's conviction follows that of two other sham marriage offenders at the same court on Friday (18 June).
Olufunke Odunwo was sentenced to 18 months and Jephtah Emmanuel to 12 months.
Both the Nigerians admitted to a charge of conspiring to facilitate a breach of the UK's immigration laws. Odunwo additionally admitted charges of possession of a forged identity document and of providing a false statement to obtain a marriage certificate.
The couple had been arrested by officers from the UK Border Agency's immigration crime team on 4 March outside the Coventry diocesan registrar's as they applied for a common licence to marry.

Any foreign criminal sentenced to more than 12 months in prison for any offence is automatically considered for deportation.

Anyone who suspects someone of committing immigration related crime should contact Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be assured.


Six arrested on suspected marriage sham

24 June 2010
A bride and groom together with four wedding guests were arrested as part of a UK Border Agency investigation into a suspected sham marriage.

Acting on intelligence, officers from the UK Border Agency's north west immigration crime team targeted Manchester Register Office at around midday, as the service was about to start.

The would be bride, a Nigerian national, and her groom, a Czech male were both arrested for conspiracy to assist unlawful immigration. Two marriage witnesses, both Nigerian were also arrested along with two other Nigerian wedding guests on suspicion of assisting illegal immigration. All six are now being questioned by police and immigration officers.
In a follow up operation the UK Border Agency crime team conducted searches at four addresses in Manchester and one in Liverpool.
Dave Magrath, Head of the UK Border Agency immigration crime team in the north-west, said:
'We are committed to tackling sham marriages and take action against those who try to falsify marriages in order to gain entry to the UK.
'We have specialist teams of immigration officers and police working o investigate cases just like this and ensuring people are not able to benefit from breaking the UK's immigration laws.'


Man jailed after UK Border Agency foils sham marriage

11 June 2010
A bogus groom has been jailed at Leeds Crown Court for 12 months after plotting to stage a sham marriage.
Just days before the planned wedding, 23-year-old Shola Bansi Yaya - a Nigerian illegal immigrant - and his fake bride Adejumoke Ariyeye, 24, were arrested as they arrived at church for a meeting with the vicar. The marriage was stopped after an investigation by the UK Border Agency immigration crime team revealed that fake documents were being used in the marriage plans.
Yaya and Ariyeye, together with 20-year-old Portuguese accomplice Maria Da Grava Correia Tavares Da Silva, were sentenced today for arranging the fake marriage that would have enabled Yaya to apply to take up permanent residence in the UK. Yaya and Da Silva had already pleaded guilty, while Ariyeye, a Nigerian who was in the country legally, was found guilty at court last month.
Yaya was jailed for 12 months. Da Silva and Ariyeye both received suspended 12-month sentences.
The court heard how Yaya, who entered the UK illegally in 2003, approached the vicar at St Peter's Church, Morley, Leeds in October last year to make arrangements to marry Da Silva. However, his marriage application aroused the suspicion of the Registrar to the Bishop and Diocese of Wakefield, who reported the marriage request to the UK Border Agency.
Officers from our immigration crime team launched an investigation into the planned marriage and discovered that many of the details and documents supplied by Yaya were falsified, including his UK address and immigration status. The court also heard that the woman Yaya had taken to meet the vicar was not Da Silva, but was Ariyeye who was fraudulently using Da Silva's Portuguese passport.
A wedding date was set for Saturday 12 December 2009, but on Tuesday 8 December a staged meeting with the vicar was arranged by the UK Border Agency. When Yaya and Ariyeye (claiming to be Da Silva) arrived at the church, they were arrested by officers from the immigration crime team. Further investigations by the team enabled them to trace Da Silva to an address in London, where she was arrested on 20 January this year. She admitted becoming involved in the scam after she had been offered £500 in exchange for her identity documents.
In interview, Yaya claimed he was introduced to Da Silva in London and then paid £3,000 to arrange a sham marriage to the Portuguese woman. He claimed that Da Silva had subsequently refused to take part in the marriage unless she was given more money, at which point it was arranged for Ariyeye to act as a stand-in.
Jeremy Oppenheim, regional director for the UK Border Agency, said:
'The UK Border Agency successfully thwarted this attempt to gain illegal residency in the UK by means of a sham marriage. The case demonstrates our determination to take action against those who try to falsify marriages in order to gain entry to the UK.
'We have specialist teams of immigration officers and police working side by side to investigate and prosecute cases just like this and ensuring people are not able to benefit from breaking the UK's immigration laws.'
Detective Inspector Don Newlove of the UK Border Agency immigration crime team said:
'This is one of a number of successful prosecutions into sham marriages carried out by the UK Border Agency North East, Yorkshire and Humberside immigration crime team.
'This clearly demonstrates the effectiveness of police and immigration officers working together to tackle immigration crime.'


Four remanded in custody on sham marriage charges

20 May 2010
Four people appeared before Peterborough Magistrates' Court on sham marriage charges on 19 May.

Fernando Manuel Simose Da Silva, 43, of Lincoln Road, Peterborough; Mamadu Djalo, 33, of Russell Street, Peterborough; Clifford Asikhia, 34, and Ruth Abumhere, 29, both of Gransden House, Bowditch, London, were all remanded in custody.

The four were arrested by members of the UK Border Agency's Immigration Crime Team (East) at All Saints Church in Park Road, Peterborough, on Monday 17 May.

Da Silva, from Portugal, and Asikhia, from Nigeria, have both been charged with facilitating a breach of the UK's immigration laws.

As well as facilitation charges Abumhere, from Nigeria, and Djalo, from Portugal, have also been charged with identity offences.

All four are due to appear at Peterborough Crown Court on 27 May.


PLS Nigerians, lets stop this behaviour noww!!! Every marriage is said to be investigated now, no more hiding place for those involve.

this is serious.

Is it by force to acquire a red P?


Serves them well.