Grand jury indicts a couple for marriage fraud following US Border Patrol investigation

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico –A federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico returned an indictment on June 5, 2025, charging Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov, from Uzbekistan, and Keily Maisonet-Ortiz, from San Juan, with marriage fraud.

Defendant Maisonet-Ortiz is scheduled for her initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Giselle López Soler of the U.S. District Court for the District of Puerto Rico. Defendant Khalilov will have his initial court appearance next week.

The defendants are charged with conspiracy to commit marriage fraud and marriage fraud. The US Border Patrol, Ramey Sector, is investigating the case.

According to court documents, from February 29, 2024, through on or about April 29, 2025, the defendants entered into a marriage for the purpose of evading any provision of the immigration laws of the United States.

Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov and Keily Maisonet-Ortiz obtained a marriage license and got married on March 13, 2024, in San Juan, Puerto Rico.

On Oct. 2024 Maisonet-Ortiz submitted an I-130 Petition for Alien Relative in favor of defendant Shokir Kurbonovich Khalilov before the Department of Homeland Security and on the same date, Khalilov submitted a I-485 Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adult Status pursuant to his marriage to defendant Maisonet-Ortiz. 

If convicted, the defendants face a sentence of up to five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow of the District of Puerto Rico; and Reggie Johnson, Chief Patrol Agent for the Ramey Sector of the US Border Patrol made the announcement.

“This case marks a significant milestone for the Ramey Sector of the U.S. Border Patrol in Puerto Rico. For the first time, our agents have investigated and helped bring forward an indictment on marriage fraud —sending a clear message that we remain vigilant against all forms of immigration fraud," stated Reggie Johnson, Chief Patrol Agent for the Ramey Border Patrol Sector. "Protecting the integrity of our nation’s immigration system is a cornerstone of border security, and we will continue working alongside our federal partners to ensure that those who attempt to exploit it are held accountable.”

Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto is prosecuting the case.

An indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The Ramey Sector is one of the twenty-one Sectors spread out across the United States. Encompassing the U.S. territorial islands of Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands, it is the only Border Patrol Sector located outside the continental United States. The Sector’s entire border area is made up of coastline and its area of responsibility is made up of some 6,000 square miles of land and water area, including the twelve-mile band of territorial water surrounding the Islands.