Missouri man gets 3 years in prison for marriage fraud plot

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – A Kansas City, Missouri, man who played a leading role in a plot that helped African nationals evade immigration laws by arranging fraudulent marriages has been ordered to spend three years in federal prison.

Forty-nine-year-old Delmar Dixon was sentenced Thursday in Kansas City. He pleaded guilty in March to conspiracy and falsely swearing in an immigration matter.

Dixon admitted he arranged 30 to 40 fraudulent marriages, including his own. He charged the African nationals $1,000 upfront and another $1,000 after the wedding was complete. The nationals were asked to pay their spouses $250 a month until the immigration process was complete.

Five co-defendants also have pleaded guilty. Two of them have also have been sentenced to prison.