Mexican soap opera star Fernanda Romero is back in the headlines. The sultry beauty, who faces accusation of fraudulently marrying a California man to get legal residency in the United States, is expected to stand trial on immigration-fraud charges this week.The actress’ American husband Kent Ross will join her in the trial, beginning Aug. 24, 2010, according to multiple online published reports.
Actress’ sham marriage
Romero, a well-known Mexican soap opera star, and Kent Ross, a US musician whom she married in 2005, were arrested in April on marriage fraud charges.
Maria Fernanda Romero Martinez of Westwood, better known by her stage name Fernanda Romero, and Ross, of California, both 28, wed on June 12, 2005, but they never lived together and even continued to date other people, as claimed by Swiss fashion photographer Markus Klinko.
Ex-beau exposes Romero
Klinko, who used to be Romero’s onetime boyfriend, exposed the actress’ so called green-card scam marriage to federal immigration authorities after she dumped Klinko in 2007, reports the New York Post.
Klinko claims he dated Romero in 2007 while she was still married to Ross.
Klinko, who used to be Romero’s onetime boyfriend, exposed the actress’ so called green-card scam marriage to federal immigration authorities after she dumped Klinko in 2007, reports the New York Post.
Trial set on immigration-fraud charges
Klinko, star of the Bravo reality show "Double Exposure," is now expected to be the main witness at the pair’s criminal trial, starting Tuesday in Los Angeles.
The celebrity photographer has reportedly hired an investigator to gather evidence of Romero’s alleged sham marriage.
"Klinko went to great lengths to see to it that this case was criminally prosecuted and … did so because of his animus toward defendant Fernanda Romero," a defense petition said, according to CNN.
Pair pleads not guilty
The ‘Drag Me to Hell’ star, Romero was charged in a Los Angeles court on Monday for allegedly marrying Ross to marry her so that she could become a U.S. resident.
Both Romero and Ross have pleaded not guilty to charges of marriage fraud and making false statements, according to the Associated Press.
War of words
The prosecution will argue that the pair have never lived together and have continued to hang out with other people since their 2005 nuptials.
However, Romero and Ross’ lawyers maintain in their filings that the pair nuptials weren’t a scam, saying the pair had been in love but the marriage just didn’t work out, reports the Post.
The defense team will claim the Swiss snapper fabricated his story after Romero dumped him.
"This is a case of two young people in love but naive to the complexities of marriage. It is a case of an older man, Markus Klinko, who was obsessed with a young woman half his age, who, when spurned as her lover, was driven by spite and revenge to destroy her life, her career and her reputation," their filings say.
Accused of marrying for immigration purposes, Romero and Ross both face five years in prison if convicted.
http://www.themoneytimes.com/featured/20100825/trial-mexican-actress-accused-marrying-fraudulently-become-us-citizen-begin-id-101