Mexican-born actress Fernanda Romero admits lying about 'green-card marriage' in plea deal

Mexican-born actress Fernanda Romero admits lying about 'green-card marriage' in plea deal

Maria Fernanda Romero Martinez, a 28-year-old actress/model who uses the stage name Fernanda Romero -- and Kent Ross, also 28, of Park La Brea, whose trial on charges of engaging in a “green-card marriage” ended in a hung jury have agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of lying to immigration officials, according to court papers filed Jan. 21, 2011 in Los Angeles. The couple were initially charged with federal marriage fraud and making false statements during Romero’s application for a green card. The plea agreements -- which become binding once the defendants appear before Real on Jan. 28 -- come just days before the case was set to be retried in Los Angeles federal court. The charges carry a maximum of five years in prison and potential fines of $250,000, prosecutors said. The case hinged on whether the Mexico City-born Romero paid Ross to marry her and then lied about it to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services so the Westwood resident could obtain permanent resident status. “It was a fraud and a sham ... solely to obtain a green card,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Left told the jury last year, arguing that the couple never lived together nor had any intention of establishing a life together. Romero has appeared in television shows and movies, including “The Eye” alongside Jessica Alba in 2008 and in the Mexican soap opera “Eternamente Tuya” (“Forever Yours”). She has also hosted the Univision Spanish-language reality show “Control.” Ross described himself as the manager of a pizza restaurant and a working musician who played in a band called The Electric Uh-Oh.

Maria Fernanda Romero Martinez, a 28-year-old actress/model who uses the stage name Fernanda Romero -- and Kent Ross, also 28, of Park La Brea, whose trial on charges of engaging in a “green-card marriage” ended in a hung jury have agreed to plead guilty to federal charges of lying to immigration officials, according to court papers filed Jan. 21, 2011 in Los Angeles. The couple were initially charged with federal marriage fraud and making false statements during Romero’s application for a green card. The plea agreements -- which become binding once the defendants appear before Real on Jan. 28 -- come just days before the case was set to be retried in Los Angeles federal court. The charges carry a maximum of five years in prison and potential fines of $250,000, prosecutors said. The case hinged on whether the Mexico City-born Romero paid Ross to marry her and then lied about it to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services so the Westwood resident could obtain permanent resident status. “It was a fraud and a sham ... solely to obtain a green card,” Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jim Left told the jury last year, arguing that the couple never lived together nor had any intention of establishing a life together. Romero has appeared in television shows and movies, including “The Eye” alongside Jessica Alba in 2008 and in the Mexican soap opera “Eternamente Tuya” (“Forever Yours”). She has also hosted the Univision Spanish-language reality show “Control.” Ross described himself as the manager of a pizza restaurant and a working musician who played in a band called The Electric Uh-Oh.