SAIPAN, CNMI – SHAWN N. ANDERSON, United States Attorney for the Districts of Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands, announced that on May 27, 2026, Venerando Aquino Martin, age 56, an illegal alien originally from the Republic of the Philippines, was sentenced in the United States District Court for the Northern Mariana Islands to 18 months imprisonment for Visa Fraud Against the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1546(a). The Court also ordered him to serve one year of supervised release and pay a $200 mandatory assessment fee.Between September 23, 2023, and April 9, 2025, Martin submitted approximately 242 fraudulent Form I‑765: Application for Employment Authorization applications, falsely claiming that the applicants qualified for employment. As a result of this scheme, 66 Employment Authorization Documents (EAD) were unlawfully issued and subsequently used by undocumented aliens to obtain employment within the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.“Martin engaged in fraudulent conduct at every step of his scheme,” stated United States Attorney Anderson. “All 66 EAD recipients have had their work authorizations revoked. The aliens involved have either been placed in or are pending initiation of removal proceedings. We will aggressively enforce immigration violations to ensure that foreign nationals meet the qualifications of our work visa programs.”“Visa fraud weakens our immigration system and puts our communities at risk,” said CJ Ammons, Acting Special Agent in Charge at Homeland Security Investigations. “We’re keeping a close eye on everyone and everything crossing our borders. If you violate our customs or immigration laws, you will face consequences. Don’t risk it.”The investigation was conducted by Homeland Security Investigations Saipan and prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Garth R. Backe for the District of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Source: U.S. Department of Justice