Man intermediary receives 100k yuan to arrange fake marriage, sentenced to 15 months in prison.

A 58-year-old male Hong Kong resident suspected of orchestrating a sham marriage to assist a mainland Chinese woman in obtaining Hong Kong residency was convicted yesterday at the Sha Tin Magistrates' Courts on one count of conspiracy to defraud and sentenced to 15 months' imprisonment.

The Immigration Department's Investigation Division earlier conducted intelligence analysis and suspected the defendant acted as an intermediary, planning and arranging a sham marriage between a mainland Chinese woman and a Hong Kong resident man, thereby helping the mainland woman obtain visitor visas and Hong Kong residency. The Immigration Department's investigation found that the two individuals registered their marriage in Hong Kong in 2023 under the defendant's arrangement. During this period, the defendant repeatedly accompanied and assisted the mainland woman in handling relevant documents and application procedures, and collected a total of 100k yuan in intermediary fees from the mainland woman.

The Immigration Department subsequently arrested the defendant and charged him with one count of conspiracy to defraud. After trial, the court convicted the defendant yesterday and sentenced him to 15 months' imprisonment.

The mainland Chinese woman involved had earlier been charged with conspiracy to defraud and sentenced to nine months' imprisonment. The Hong Kong resident man who participated in the sham marriage had earlier pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud and is awaiting sentencing. The Immigration Department continues to investigate other involved parties and does not rule out further arrests.