Mexican actress gets jail time in immigration, marriage case [Updated]
A correction has been made to this post See details below.
A federal judge has sentenced a Mexican actress and her husband after they admitted making false statement so she could enter the United States.
Actress Fernanda Romero and her husband, Kent Ross, were sentenced to spend 15 weekends in jail.
Romero has appeared in various films, including the 2008 supernatural thriller “The Eye,” as well as in print and television advertising campaigns, according to an affidavit filed by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
According to the affidavit, a witness told authorities that Romero paid $5,000 to Ross, a musician and former pizza delivery man, to participate in a bogus marriage. Foreign spouses of U.S. citizens are eligible for legal residency status, work permits and eventually citizenship.
Authorities said Romero and Ross filed several documents containing false statements, such as claims that they lived at the same address. According to prosecutors, Romero also filed documents allegedly containing false statements as to how long she had resided in the United States.
The federal investigation began after Romero’s ex-boyfriend, Markus Klinko, a fashion photographer, alerted immigration authorities to the alleged scam, the affidavit stated.
"I am sorry for what I did,'' Romero was quoted by City News Service as saying in court Monday when she was sentenced.
[Correction: An earlier version of this post incorrectly said the couple pleaded guilty to marriage fraud. Ross' attorney, Michael Shannon, said they pleaded guilty to making false statements. An earlier trial on the marriage fraud charges resulted in a hung jury.]
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-- Shelby Grad
Photo: Actress Fernanda Romero. Credit: Associated Press
EDITOR'S PICKS:
So now she is prohibited from living/staying in the United States?
Yeah, right.............
Posted by: jayzee1 | April 26, 2011 at 07:58 AM
haha.
Posted by: brianguy | April 26, 2011 at 08:06 AM
Immigration, please deport this woman!!!!!!
Posted by: Luis Medina | April 26, 2011 at 08:30 AM
Why would she admit? Stoopid!
Posted by: Montana Gold- | April 26, 2011 at 08:39 AM
She is a fox and she has a job.........let her stay.........kick out the ugly unemployed ones.....
Posted by: Gordon | April 26, 2011 at 10:18 AM
So, if you alert the authorities, they put your name in the paper. NOT GOOD!
Posted by: link | April 26, 2011 at 10:51 AM
sooo are they deporting this person? I am not really sure the united states needs another scammer
Posted by: freshcoldbeer.com | April 26, 2011 at 10:54 AM
What about deportation?
Posted by: Ironweed | April 26, 2011 at 11:18 AM
So why can't she just get a visa legally? Everyone complains about illegal immigration, but if there is no legal option, what are their choices? To borrow a phrase from the gun-rights activists, "if immigration is illegal, then only criminals will immigrate"!
Posted by: Curtis | April 26, 2011 at 12:34 PM
What defines a bogus marriage anyway? I know lots of native-born people that marry out of convenience or to be able to live on more money. That's what marriage is to most people - a financial arrangement.
Still, she should be punished for the fraudulent documents she created.
Posted by: disbelief | April 26, 2011 at 12:54 PM
15 weekends in jail. How horrendous! If this were a average person, and not someone in the media, it would be two years hard time!
Posted by: Astonished | April 26, 2011 at 12:59 PM
How many of these marriage scams slip through? 15 week ends? Way to soft....should 2-3 years.
Posted by: Ruben | April 26, 2011 at 12:59 PM
If even a successful actress needs to be here illegally then perhaps immigration does need a bit of reform.
Posted by: Griffin | April 26, 2011 at 01:02 PM
Markus Klinko, should receive time as well because he was living with her, and knew. They broke up, and he little ego was hurt, so he reproted her.
Posted by: TAM | April 26, 2011 at 01:14 PM
No deportation?
Posted by: bothofmany | April 26, 2011 at 01:32 PM
"Actress Fernanda Romero and her husband, Kent Ross, were sentenced to spend 15 weekends in jail."
Talk about lenient. Then again, they could have been "sentenced" to stay in the US.
Posted by: Homer | April 26, 2011 at 01:52 PM
Ok. So, she is getting 15 weekends in jail. This means that anyone else who plans on "marriage fraud" can expect something similar- Not bad? Better 15 weeks than deporation.... sheeshh....
Posted by: mariluz | April 26, 2011 at 02:23 PM
why didn't she just get a visa ??
Posted by: shadowpark | April 26, 2011 at 02:47 PM
Definitely the hottest illegal immigrant in town. Btw, she might still be deported. She's been charged by immigration enforcement. the marriage fraud case is a completely different sort of prosecution.
Posted by: fredvard | April 26, 2011 at 03:04 PM
So is it 15 weekends or 15 weeks?
These are two completely different things.
Posted by: StreakJ | April 26, 2011 at 04:42 PM
if any of the other commentators knew anything about immigration law, they would know that there exists such things as temporary visas so the fact that she fraudulently attempted to get permanent residence does not necessarily imply she did not have a temporary visa.
Posted by: Cruz | April 26, 2011 at 09:17 PM
She should be deported. We have enough naturalized citizens who are criminals. We don't need more from foreign countries!
Posted by: Katie | April 26, 2011 at 10:47 PM
She attempts to defraud the Government and the People of the United States of a priceless commodity, and she gets 15 weekends in jail.
Nice to know what the judiciary thinks of people who do the right thing.
Posted by: Olden Atwoody | April 27, 2011 at 12:31 AM
Woah who is this lucky guy!
Posted by: chandler | April 27, 2011 at 05:16 AM
We got enough lying pretty faces here, SHE NEEDS TO BE DEPORTED!!
Posted by: david smith | April 27, 2011 at 08:21 AM