US Federal officials on Thursday announced charges in a scheme to enter into fraudulent marriages in order to circumvent the nation's immigration laws.  The marriage fraud ring allegedly operated out of Brevard County from 2015 to 2016, Fox Orlando reported.

The 28-year-old Armenian, Svetlana Shakhramanyan is among the arrested. All the arrested people, including other citizens from the CIS countries, will face up to five years in federal prison.

According to court documents, immigration agents worked with the Brevard County Clerk of the Court to track a significant surge in the number of aliens from Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and other former Soviet countries, marrying U.S. citizens in Brevard County.

The investigation led to the arrest of Yakovlev and Toole in 2016. After his arrest, authorities say Yakovlev admitted to introducing approximately 100 individuals to each other over an 18-month period for the purpose of them entering into sham marriages for immigration benefits.

Investigators said Yakovlev claimed that his payment typically ranged from $1,000 to $2,000 per sham marriage, and that the American citizens were paid between $10,000 and $20,000 each.