Soldiers charged in marriage fraud

GREENVILLE -- Fort Bragg soldiers and Central Asian immigrants staged courtships and marriages to reap the benefits America gives those who get hitched, according to federal investigators.

The scheme has landed the several young soldiers and three foreign brides in the hot seat. This week, two of the soldiers and one of the brides pleaded guilty to marriage fraud in federal court; the crime could land each in prison for as long as five years.

The arrangements were tempting. By marrying an American, the women, immigrants of Russia and nearby countries, could stay in the United States indefinitely. The soldiers, young single recruits, would rack up extra pay afforded to married military members so they might live off base.

All told, the three fake marriages cost the military $200,000 in benefits over more than three years, said John Bowler, assistant U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina.

Two of the solders, Wesley Farris and Stephen Schneider, married the immigrants as teens. Now both 23, the men stood tall in civilian khaki dress slacks and dress shirts Tuesday, capping each of their answers to a federal judge with "sir." Both declined to comment after the hearing.

The marriage scam was hatched in 2005 by Pavel and Alexander Manin, two Russian brothers who had enlisted in the U.S. Army, Bowler said in court. Pavel Manin was stationed at Fort Bragg in Fayetteville and befriended Farris. Manin made an enticing proposal: marry a woman in need of immigration security and earn extra military housing pay. Farris, according to Bowler, shared his technique with roommate Jason Hawk and friend Stephen Schneider. All three secured foreign brides.

Forget the honeymoon

The brides-to-be, all living in New York City, paid the Manin brothers several thousand dollars for the referral, according to court documents.

The weddings were swift and simple affairs. One bride, Ayana Ivanova, traveled to Fayetteville by bus to marry Hawk in February 2006. They married at the Cumberland County courthouse the next day; within hours, Ivanova was back on the bus, bound for her apartment in New York, according to court documents.

The soldiers couldn't keep up the charade. An Army investigator visited Farris' house in Spring Lake earlier this year and noticed that his wife, Svetlana Kaloshina, was living out of a suitcase. Army investigators teamed with immigration officials and the FBI.

It's against federal law to marry someone just to secure immigration benefits. To earn permanent resident status for a foreign spouse, the couple must attest to their courtship and offer proof of their shared life to immigration officials. Marrying to reap military benefits is also not allowed.

Hawk was not charged with a federal crime, but he was disciplined by the military. He was imprisoned four months and fined $20,000 before he being discharged this summer, according to Col. Bill Buckner, a Fort Bragg spokesman. Schneider is no longer in the Army.

Farris, a sergeant with the 82nd Airborne Brigade Combat Team, has jeopardized his military career with his guilty plea, Buckner said.

"This is inconsistent with Army values," Buckner said. "We won't tolerate and accept that in our ranks."

What comes next

Bucker said that the Army intends to try to recoup money from Schneider and Farris that it paid in benefits for their fraudulent marriages.

In June, immigration officials arrested Tatyana Urazova, Schneider's wife, moments after she boarded a plane in New York bound for Austria. She's now in custody at a local jail, awaiting sentencing by a federal judge. Schneider's wife is on the lam; Farris' wife cooperated with authorities.

The Manin brothers are in hot water, too. Next week, they'll be in Raleigh, arguing to a federal judge that they can be trusted to be free while they are waiting for their case to reach trial.

Latest Comment View all comments