DENVER – An Army sergeant was sentenced on Thursday to serve eight months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and making false statements regarding that fraud to the government.

United States Attorney Jason R. Dunn says that Sergeant Galima Murry was one of the four defendants who were tried and convicted for this incident in January 2020. 

According to facts that were established at trial, the purpose of the conspiracy was to obtain immigration benefits for Rajesh Ramcharan, Diann Ramcharan, and one of their minor children.

The Ramcharans, a married couple, came to the United States from Trinidad & Tobago on visitor visas in 2007.  They overstayed their visitor visas and ended up settling in Colorado.  They then developed a scheme so that they could remain in the country.

In 2010, the Ramcharans were married by Pastor Ken Harvell.  The couple then filed for a divorce.  Five days after that divorce was finalized, Harvell signed a new marriage certificate for Diann Ramcharan and Sergeant Galima Murry in 2011. Murry was a soldier at Fort Carson at the time. 

The court says Murry’s involvement in the conspiracy spanned over six years. He filed numerous documents with immigration authorities to prove the fraudulent marriage was real. 

He also received a vehicle as payment for his role in the scheme. 

In addition, Murry obtained military benefits from the Army based on his fraudulent marriage to Diann Ramcharan, which included additional money in every pay check during the time that he reported being married.  He also received a separation hardship allowance, reimbursements for moving expenses and claimed one of the Ramcharan children on his tax return.

In 2015, Rajesh Ramcharan married Angelica Guevara, who also is a citizen of the United States.  Harvell, who knowingly and voluntarily participated in the conspiracy, signed the marriage certificate between Guevara and Rajesh Ramcharan. 

During the time of both the Ramcharans’ fraudulent marriages to Murry and Guevara, the Ramcharans lived with each other.

“Prison is an appropriate consequence for this defendant,” said U.S. Attorney Jason Dunn.  “Mr. Murry not only committed immigration fraud, but stole from taxpayers and the military.  Hopefully this sentence will be a deterrent to like-minded criminals.”  

Each defendant was convicted for their involvement in submitting at least one false statement to U.S. immigration authorities as part of the Ramcharans’ attempt to gain lawful immigration status in the United States. 

The other defendants are pending sentencing.