A group of foreign nationals and U.S. citizens used a provision in the newly reauthorized Violence Against Women Act (VAWA) as part of a fake profit-making marriage scheme in which American citizens were paid to marry foreigners to establish U.S. residency, prosecutors say. Foreign nationals paid as much as $30,000 for the sham marriages, which included a fake ceremony with wedding dress, tuxedos, and photo albums, according to a multiple-count federal indictment handed announced on April 7 against the 11 individuals charged in the operation, The scheme exploited a provision under federal immigration laws that permits U.S. citizen to file a petition for an alien relative with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to expedite and automate the process of their foreign spouse obtaining a permanent resident card. In some of the fake marriages, temporary restraining orders were obtained under made-up allegations of domestic abuse against the American spouse …