Portuguese Woman Who Arranged Fake Marriage For Nigerian Man jailed In The UK
A Portuguese woman, Ana Rita Teixeira Ferras, 26, involved in setting up sham weddings between European women and African migrants, including a Nigerian has been jailed in the UK.
One of her clients was a Nigerian student named Olwasegun Omoniyi who was eventually jailed for 44 weeks for his part in the plot after pleading guilty to attempting to obtain leave to remain in the UK by deception.
Mr. Omoniyi’s intended bride was one Jessica Nunes, 21, from Corby, Northamptonshire, who was handed a 12 month suspended sentence in April 2013.
According to Mailonline, Ms Ferras set up at least three fake marriage in 2012 between women from the EU and men from west Africa.
She even took part in a scam herself and married a man in 2007 and helped produce false payslips to be used by those who had had sham marriages when they made applications to the Home Office to stay in the country.
Ferras even fled back to her home country of Portugal when police caught up with her at her home in Highbrook, Northamptonshire, and was only brought back to the UK after a European Arrest Warrant was issued.
During a hearing at at Northampton Crown Court Ferras admitted four counts of facilitating a breach of immigration law. She was jailed for four years and three months.
Several accomplices in the ring have previously been convicted for their part of the scheme as part of a Home Office investigation called Operation Marco.