USCIS Fraud Detection Leads to 18-Month Sentence in CNMI Visa Fraud Case
Published Jun 1, 2026
USCIS screening uncovered a scheme in which Venerando Aquino Martin submitted about 242 fraudulent applications falsely claiming eligibility for employment authorization under the INA's Registry provision. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison, one year of supervised release, and a 200 dollar mandatory assessment fee.
Key points
- Between September 2023 and April 2025, Martin filed roughly 242 fraudulent applications claiming applicants qualified for work permits.
- The scheme resulted in 66 work permits being issued before USCIS detected the fraud.
- USCIS revoked all 66 work permits and began deportation proceedings against the individuals involved.
- A USCIS officer in Guam noticed a pattern, prompting an investigation by USCIS Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate with Homeland Security Investigations Saipan.
- Martin charged applicants thousands of dollars to prepare fraudulent Registry provision filings, though most applicants were ineligible, some not even born before 1972.
Who is affected
This affects individuals in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands who received work permits through the fraudulent scheme, as they now face revoked permits and possible deportation.
What to do
Anyone with suspicions about immigration benefit fraud can report it to USCIS using the USCIS Tip Form.
Full text
The complete official text was archived on this site on 2026-10-12. It stays available here even if the source link changes or is removed.
Release Date
06/01/2026
SAIPAN, CNMI—U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’ robust screening and vetting uncovered an immigration fraud scheme that resulted in Venerando Aquino Martin, 56, an illegal alien from the Philippines, being sentenced to 18 months for visa fraud. The court also ordered him to serve one year of supervised release and pay a $200 mandatory assessment fee. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands announced the sentencing.
Between Sept. 23, 2023, and April 9, 2025, Martin submitted approximately 242 fraudulent applications, falsely claiming that the applicants qualified for employment authorization. As a result of this scheme, 66 work permits were issued—before the fraud was detected—and then used by illegal aliens to obtain employment in the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
USCIS’ investigative efforts discovered that Martin charged applicants thousands of dollars to prepare and submit fraudulent applications for immigration benefits under the “Registry” provision of the Immigration and Nationality Act. This provision allows certain individuals who entered the United States before Jan. 1, 1972, to apply for a Permanent Resident Card and receive work permits while that application is pending.
An astute USCIS officer in Guam saw a pattern in the cases Martin submitted, and USCIS’ Fraud Detection and National Security Directorate immediately began investigating. Nearly all applicants in this case were ineligible; some were not even born before 1972.
USCIS revoked all 66 work permits and began processes to deport the aliens involved.
The investigation was conducted in partnership with Homeland Security Investigations Saipan and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Garth R. Backe for the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
To report suspected immigration benefit fraud or abuse to USCIS, please use the USCIS Tip Form.
For more information on USCIS and its programs, please visit uscis.gov or follow us on X, Instagram, YouTube, Facebook and LinkedIn.
06/01/2026
Original title: USCIS Screening and Vetting Efforts Lead to 18-month Sentencing of Illegal Alien in Fraud Case
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