IRVINGTON, NJ – A New Jersey woman is heading to prison for seven months after being convicted of immigration marriage fraud.
Audrey Boney Johnson, 34, and Shanon St. Aubyn Stephenson, a citizen of Jamaica, entered into a fraudulent marriage simply to defraud the immigration process, the Department of Justice contested during the trial.
“Shortly thereafter, Johnson and Stephenson applied to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service (“USCIS) for Stephenson to become a lawful permanent resident of the U.S., often called a “green card.”,” the DOJ said. “Following an interview with the USCIS in 2012, Stephenson was issued a temporary, two-year green card. In subsequent submissions and statements to the USCIS, Johnson and Stephenson claimed to be married and living together in Brooklyn, New York. In fact, Stephenson married Jodian Stephenson, also known as Jodian Gordon, in 2010, and lived with her, and not Johnson, in Bridgeport, Connecticut.”
In total, the couple conspired with others to arrange 28 bogus marriages between U.S. Ccitizens and non-citizens to circumvent the green card process.
This investigation revealed that Jodian Stephenson, a citizen of Jamaica, operated Stephenson Immigration and Legal Services, LLC, in Bridgeport. Between 2011 and 2017, she conspired with others to arrange 28 sham marriages between U.S. citizens and non-citizens residing in the U.S. for the purpose of the non-citizens’ applying for and obtaining green cards. One of the sham marriages was between Johnson and Shanon Stephenson, and another was between Jodian Stephenson and a U.S. citizen.
On October 1, 2021, Johnson pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit immigration marriage fraud. Johnson, who was released on bond, was remanded to custody at the conclusion of the sentencing proceeding.