African to be deported after 11 years illegally in U.S.

DETROIT (AP) - A man from Africa who spent 11 years in the United States illegally faces deportation after his name came up during an investigation of sham marriages.

Vincent Agbanyo is a native of Ghana. He appeared last week in Detroit federal court and got a four-month prison sentence for visa fraud. He will be deported.

Agbanyo entered the United States in 2003. At the time, he failed to disclose that he had been kicked out a year earlier for using another person's passport.

Prosecutors say Agbanyo could have remained undetected. But the government became aware of him during an investigation of more than 60 sham marriages between Americans and foreigners in Michigan and northern Ohio.

The government says Agbanyo arranged many of those marriages for a fee, although he wasn't charged.

Published: Wed, Apr 29, 2015