A lawyer in Spain has been arrested along with a man and a woman for their alleged involvement in a criminal network specializing in arranging sham marriages between Spanish women and foreign nationals.
El Correo de Burgos cited police sources that confirmed investigators had prevented the fraudulent formalization of 13 marriages of convenience based on documentation seized during the arrests.
An extensive investigation into the operation, which began in September last year, found that the male suspect was responsible for recruitment. He sought out foreign men seeking legacy residency and registered them at addresses in Miranda de Ebro, just south of Bilbao in the north of the country. The men were reportedly charged around €10,000 each.
The female suspect was tasked with locating Spanish female citizens willing to participate in the sham marriages. They were paid between €3,000 and €4,000 for their involvement.
The lawyer, based in Miranda de Ebro, filed the marriage paperwork, all of which was seized during searches of their offices.
In addition to the trio, around 20 other individuals have been identified as participating in the illegal scheme, including prospective fake spouses and intermediaries who helped to facilitate meets.
The three suspects are understood to be facing charges including falsifying documents and facilitating illegal immigration.
Facilitating sham marriages can be big business for those involved. In 2020, a major criminal network was disbanded by the Spanish National Police for aiding Indian and Pakistani migrants in their search for residency papers.
That network had orchestrated over 50 sham marriages, charging €20,000 each time.
The operation’s reach was broad, with 12 members arrested in locations down the eastern coast, including Barcelona, Valencia, and Sitges.
