It was a match made not in heaven but on Craigslist, and the Russian bride and American groom are charged with staging a sham marriage to get her a green card. The woman posted not-so-subtle ads: "Green Card Marriage—Will Pay $300/Month. Total $15,000," the LA Times reports. She got a taker, along with the attention of customs officials.
"I'd say it's a fairly blatant example of marriage fraud," says one prosecutor. Yuliya Kalinina married Benjamin C. Adams in name only, leased him a car as payment, and continued to live in LA with her boyfriend for 2 years before the feds made their move. Her lawyer says she didn't know it was illegal, but she she faces deportation and 6 months in jail. (More green card stories.)