Bragg soldier convicted of arranging sham marriages for immigrants

A Fort Bragg soldier was convicted Thursday of arranging fraudulent marriages between soldiers and immigrants, authorities said.

A federal court jury found Sgt. Edward Kumi Anguah guilty of conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and making a false statement in an immigration matter after a two-day trial.

Anguah will be sentenced later, when he faces up to 10 years in prison.

He was one of two soldiers charged in January following an investigation that began when another soldier, who wasn't charged, admitted her marriage to a Ghanaian citizen was a sham after she was caught in an extramarital affair with another soldier.

In exchange for the fake marriage, the soldier said, she was offered a basic housing allowance, $1,250 to cover two months of rent and furniture for her new apartment in Fayetteville.

Investigators said Anguah ran the marriage ring, filling out the necessary U.S. Customs and Immigration Services paperwork, quizzing the soldiers and their spouses so they could pass interviews with immigration officers and even arranging for wedding rings and photos to help legitimize the bogus marriages.

A decade ago, another Fort Bragg soldier and a former soldier were sentenced to probation after marrying Russian women in order to move off post and gain increased military benefits.