Page 2 - MIN SJA 10 SEPT 2015

A4
U.S. NEWSThursday 10 September
Gay couple weds in Rowan County, Kentucky Associated Press
ADAM BEAM
Associated Press
MOREHEAD, Kentucky (AP)
— After a five-day stint in
jail for refusing to issue mar- days off from work to spend
riage licenses to same-sex
couples, Kentucky county
clerk Kim Davis will return
to work as soon as Friday to
face another day of reck-
oning.
The Apostolic Christian, now
a symbol of strong religious
conviction to thousands
across the globe, would
Allen Corona, 34, left, and Mark Shrayber, 32, from San Fransisco, talk to the media after being
issued a marriage license in by deputy clerks at the Rowan County Clerk’s office Wednesday
September 9, 2015 in Morehead, Ky. Deputy clerk Brian Mason says the office will issues licenses
Wednesday in Davis’ absence if anyone seeks them. Lawyers for Rowan County clerk Kim Davis
say she will return to work Friday or Monday.
not say whether she would
allow licenses to continue
to be issued or try to block
them once again, defying
a federal court order that
could send her back to jail.
Davis walked out of the
Carter County Detention
Center’s front door Tues-
day, arm in arm with her
lawyer and with Republi-
can presidential candidate
Mike Huckabee, to a podi-
um backed by a 150-voice
church choir. Thousands
of supporters and waved
white crosses and sang
“Amazing Grace” and
“God Bless America.” She
was locked up last Thurs-
day for the boldest act of
resistance by a public offi-
cial yet to the U.S. Supreme
Court ruling in June that
effectively legalized same-
sex marriage across the
nation. Citing “God’s au-
thority” and her belief that
gay marriage is a sin, Da-
vis stopped issuing all mar-
riage licenses.
Davis will take a couple of
with her family and will re-
turn to work Friday or Mon-
day, according to Charla
Bansley, a spokeswoman
for Liberty Counsel, the
Christian law firm represent-
ing Davis. Her statement
did not say whether Davis
would allow her office to
grant licenses.
At 8 a.m. Wednesday, her
office at the Rowan County
Courthouse in Morehead
opened as scheduled.
Deputy clerk Brian Mason
said anyone seeking a li-
cense will get one. If Da-
vis returns to work and tells
him to stop, he said he’ll tell
her he can’t obey her, and
instead must follow a fed-
eral judge’s order to issue
licenses.
In lifting his contempt order
against Davis, U.S. District
Judge David Bunning said
he was satisfied that her
deputies were fulfilling their
obligation to grant licens-
es to same-sex couples in
her absence. But Bunning
warned that she could go
right back to jail if she inter- marriage license. Five of
feres with the issuance of
marriage licenses to same-
sex couples upon her re-
turn.
“Kim cannot and will not
Marriage fraud scheme attempts
to help Chinese get US residency
AMY TAXIN
LOS ANGELES (AP) — An American man was told
violate her conscience,” he could make $18,000 for marrying a Chinese
said Mat Staver, founder woman who needed a green card, so he agreed
of the Liberty Counsel, the to get hitched at a California wedding studio and
Christian law firm repre- then took an all-expenses-paid trip to Las Vegas
senting Davis. As for what where he posed in photos with his new wife.
might happen next, he said But the man was gay and vacationing with his boy-
“You’ll find out in the near friend, while the woman already had a husband.
future.” Staver said the li- Until he revealed his sexual orientation to an immi-
censes deputy clerks issued gration officer during a green card interview, both
to same-sex couples last couples had been caught up in an elaborate mar-
week were not valid be- riage fraud scheme that has netted organizers $3.5
cause they were not given million since 2006, authorities say.
under Davis’ authority. But Federal authorities on Wednesday arrested Ja-
the Kentucky attorney gen- son Shiao, a 65-year-old Southern California man
eral’s office said it believes they say posed as an attorney, and his 43-year-old
daughter, Lynn Leung, on charges of conspiring to
commit visa fraud by arranging phony marriages
between Chinese citizens seeking legal residency
and American spouses.
Authorities also charged Shannon Mendoza, 48,
with recruiting Americans for the scheme. Immigra-
tion and Customs Enforcement agents were still
(AP Photo by John Flavell) searching for Mendoza on Wednesday afternoon.
Shiao and Leung’s Pasadena-based business filed
otherwise. more than 70 fraudulent immigration petitions
Attorney General Jack since October 2006, authorities said. It advertised
Conway also said that for in Chinese-language newspapers in California and
now, he won’t appoint a charged Chinese citizens who came to the United
special prosecutor to in- States on tourist visas as much as $50,000 for the
vestigate whether Davis company’s services, ICE officials said.
committed a state crime The business even paid some Americans to travel
by refusing to issue licenses. abroad and snap photos with clients to make the
One rejected couple had marriages look more authentic to immigration offi-
asked the local prosecutor cers reviewing green card applications, authorities
to consider charging Davis said.
with official misconduct, a Claude Arnold, special agent in charge of ICE’s
misdemeanor applicable homeland security investigations in Los Angeles,
to public officials who ne- said marriage fraud has been rampant for more
glect their duties. Rowan than two decades but is frequently downplayed
County Attorney Cecil Wat- and even romanticized on television and in movies
kins cited a conflict of inter- such as “Green Card.”
est and passed the com- “It is glamorized in Hollywood movies as you are
plaint to Conway. helping someone out,” Arnold said. “The people
At least one of the four who are facilitating this — they’re not in it to help
couples that sued Davis someone out. They’re not a charitable organiza-
have not yet received a tion. They’re just trying to line their pockets.”
Shiao and Leung were ordered released on bond
Davis’ six deputy clerks — during a federal court hearing in Los Angeles
all except her son, Nathan Wednesday afternoon. If convicted, each faces
— agreed to issue licenses up to five years in prison, the U.S. attorney’s office
to gay couples with Davis said.
behind bars. q As green card holders themselves, the father and
daughter also could face the prospect of deporta-
tion. Both are dual citizens of China and Australia,
authorities said.
A message left for Shiao’s lawyer, Pedro Castillo,
was not returned. Leung’s attorney, Errol Stambler,
declined to immediately comment on the allega-
tions.
Immigration officials said they learned of the
scheme in 2012 after an anonymous caller con-
tacted a tip line.
Investigators determined that Shiao had been pos-
ing as a lawyer, and he and Leung had been pair-
ing up couples and snapping photos of them in
bridal gear and on purported honeymoon trips in
a bid to make their marriages seem legitimate to
immigration officers, authorities said.q