US Jury Convicts Russian-born Man, Former Spouse For Citizenship Fraud - Dept. Of Justice

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 14th September, 2021) A Federal jury in the United States convicted a California woman and her former Russian-born spouse on charges of conspiracy related to illegally obtaining US citizenship, the Department of Justice said on Monday in a statement.

"According to court records and evidence presented at trial, Laura Gallagher, 32, a Foreign Service Officer with the US Department of State, and Andrey Kalugin, 36, originally of Russia, conspired together to obtain lawful permanent residence and US citizenship for Kalugin through his marriage to Gallagher," the statement read.

Both defendants met each other in a law school in 2013, where Kalugin studied on a student visa. They married in June 2015, just a month before his visa was due to expire, and submitted an application for Kalugin to obtain a "green card", court documents showed.

They split up in 2016, shortly after moving from California to Virginia, it added.

"Gallagher disregarded her responsibilities to the public as a federal government employee and licensed attorney when she engaged in this fraudulent scheme with Kalugin. Thanks to the dedication of the trial team and our partners at the State Department, these defendants have been brought to justice." Acting US Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Raj Parekh said.

Gallagher and Kalugin each face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison when sentenced on February 4, 2022, the statement read. Kalugin additionally faces mandatory revocation of his US citizenship, it added.