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Yulia Krosneva appeared in U.S. District Court on Thursday to face a charge of making false statements to a federal law enforcement agent.
Magistrate F. Bradford Stillman, the same judge who dismissed the case against Krosneva earlier this week, set a new preliminary hearing for this afternoon. On Tuesday, Stillman tossed out a marriage fraud charge after federal agents failed to show up in court to testify.
Krosneva was arrested last week after she married an undercover agent with the Naval Criminal Investigative Service at Norfolk City Hall in an effort to gain legal residency in the country, according to a criminal complaint filed by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Krosneva believed she was marrying a Navy sailor and was willing to pay as much as $8,000 to get through the immigration process, although court papers were not clear on whether money exchanged hands.
The federal agent set up the ruse ceremony with the help of a city marriage commissioner, who performed the service but never officially registered the marriage, the court papers say.
When Krosneva was arrested immediately after the ceremony, she denied ever discussing getting married solely for the purpose of obtaining citizenship, according to the complaint. That is the basis for the false statements charge.
Federal authorities are investigating a Virginia Beach marriage broker who helped arrange Krosneva's marriage. The broker is suspected of arranging sham marriages between sailors and Eastern European brides and grooms, according to court papers. The broker has not been charged or publicly identified.
By TIM MCGLONE, The Virginian-Pilot
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