Issaquah Thai Ginger owner arrested for immigration scam
Jun 24 2009
Varee Bradford, the owner of five Seattle and Eastside Thai Ginger restaurants, was arrested earlier this week for reportedly paying her employees to marry her relatives from Thailand so they could stay in the United States.
According to reports from the Seattle Times, Bradford, a resident of Issaquah, was charged in U.S. District Court with four immigration crimes and pleaded not guilty Tuesday afternoon.
She and an associate reportedly arranged marriages between employees at the restaurants and relatives between 2001 and 2007 and were discovered following an undercover operation by Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers in February of 2008.
According to court documents the employees were offered between $10,000 and $20,000 to marry Bradford's relatives, which would make getting a green card easier. Foreigners automatically earn the ability to immigrate to the U.S. if they marry a citizen, but those marriages must be determined legitimate by government officials.
The charges carry a possible prison sentence of up to 35 years in jail.
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