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CELLPHONE, Alabama – Gulf Shores resident Andreas “A.J. ” Andreasen Jr. Endured right in front of the federal judge Thursday to understand their punishment for wedding fraudulence. Their Czech spouse was at the courtroom, as soon as it had been over, they went house together.
A outcome that is strange a few that admitted in available court that their union ended up being a sham to evade U.S. Immigration legislation. Then again, it is possibly the many atypical of all the wedding fraudulence instances that the U.S. Attorney’s workplace in Cellphone has prosecuted within the last couple of years.
Both Andreasen and their wife, Katerina Petrasova Andreasen, stated they only reluctantly decided to plead accountable since they failed to desire to risk planning to jail.
“If it was a sham wedding like they state it absolutely was, we might never ever be residing together now, ” said Katerina Andreasen, whom included that she will have absolutely nothing to gain at this time by continuing to keep up appearances in the event that wedding had not been real.
On Chief U.S. District Judge William Steele sentenced A.J. Andreasen to five years of probation and fined him $1,000 thursday. This is the exact exact same phrase that U.S. District Judge Ginny Granade imposed on their spouse week that is last. The major huge difference is the fact that Katerina Andreasen now faces feasible deportation.
Steele noted A.J. Andreasen’s spotless record that is criminal stable work history and good standing in the community. “It seems Mr. Andreasen happens to be gainfully useful for nearly all of their life, ” the judge stated.
Andreasen stated he came across Katerina Andreasen, 33, eight years ago when their dad took A scuba diving course along with her, after which she started diving with all the whole household. A.J. Andreasen, an old Elberta book officer and a volunteer that is longtime in Fort Morgan, stated the 2 started dating in 2008.
They drove to Pensacola on Aug. 18, 2009, to obtain a married relationship permit, nine times once they and a small grouping of buddies took boats to Robinson Island near Orange Beach to own a marriage celebration that is informal.
A.J. Andreasen, 32, invited women buddy looking for make it possible to transfer to their property. Katerina Andreasen stated she relocated away.
“Two girls in one single household don’t go together, ” she said.
But Andreasen stated she stayed near to her husband’s family members. And she ultimately reconciled with him.
“There’s no one we understand that will make me personally more proud if she might be a citizen that is american” said A.J. Andreasen’s mother, Jana.
Because of the period of the couple’s reconciliation, nonetheless, Department of Homeland protection detectives had started to monitor the couple and report their split residing arrangements. A.J. Andreasen stated he suspects a previous boss called federal agents to obtain right back he had made regarding overtime pay at him for a complaint.
Fundamentally, prosecutors got an indictment against both Andreasens. Authorities accused them of organizing a wedding in title just after which lying to Citizenship and Immigration Services officials in Atlanta to ensure Katerina Andreasen could obtain her card that is green.
“There had been no cash. There was clearly no conspiracy. … It’s not your typical instance, ” said A.J. Andreasen, whom included he responded every question truthfully in Atlanta. “We just don’t feel we did any such thing wrong. ”
Also from living as man and wife while charges were pending as they tried to convince investigators that they had a real marriage, a no-contact order prohibited them. In reality, Jana Andreasen stated, the few could not really go to the medical center during the exact same time whenever her spouse suffered a heart attack.
Before the wedding, A.J. Andreasen stated, he feared Katerina may need to go back to her indigenous nation.
“i did son’t desire her to go back to Czech (Republic), ” he said. Her. “ I adored”
Nevertheless, he hinted that Katerina Andreasen to his relationship is nearly exactly like other marriages.
“We don’t have actually the typical Christian relationship, ” he stated.
The plea contract that Katerina Andreasen finalized informs a various tale. It states that she admitted to detectives that the wedding wasn’t genuine and that she never ever lived with him.
Jana Andreasen stated no doubt is had by her that her son’s wedding is genuine. She recalled the surprise of learning that her son and daughter-in-law was charged with a crime that is federal.
“I became in the office, and I left, and I also never ever went straight right back, ” she said.
Katerina Andreasen said she struggled to obtain an and a half as a nanny in england before coming to the united states on a tourist visa in 2002 to visit friends year. She stated she wound up in Gulf Shores and liked it. She remained and got a housekeeping work.
The visa expired after 6 months, and Andreasen merely went about her company. She worked difficult not to ever get noticed – up to you are able for the 6-foot, 2-inch appealing blond woman perhaps not to.
It might have now been uncommon should they had. The Pew Hispanic Center estimates that 40 per cent to 50 % regarding the nation’s immigrants that are illegal legitimately. Possibly as much as 5.5 million people in the usa overstayed their visas. Few have caught.
Andreasen stated she thinks that, ironically, the wedding really hurt her efforts to remain.
“If we never ever got hitched, I nevertheless could be residing right right here peacefully, ” she stated. “Nobody considers those activities when you’re in love. ”
Andreasen stated southwest Alabama’s little community that is czech tight – especially since Hurricane Ivan in 2004. This is certainly just exactly exactly how she came across David Cejka, a native that is czech she dated off and on.
Andreasen stated she continues to be near to Cejka. They compete in triathlons together. As soon as she relocated away from her husband’s home through that spell buying wifes, she moved into Cejka’s house.
“David is my closest friend, ” she said. “He’s my training partner. ”
Police force authorities alleged the connection had been a lot more than that, and Cejka on Thursday pleaded bad in federal court to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud. Their plea document states that Katerina Andreasen offered a co-worker $4,000 that he could get his green card if she would marry Cejka so.
Katerina Andreasen shared with her buddy that Cejka ended up being the love of her life and because she was trying to get pregnant, according to the plea document that she had stopped taking birth control pills.
The plea papers for Katerina Andreasen and Cejka state which they failed to go to each other’s weddings since they could not bear to view one another kiss somebody else. Inquired about that, Andreasen shrugged. “Would you invite your ex-girlfriend to your wedding? ”
However the case that is criminal over for the Andreasens. Now their attention has looked to fighting deportation. A.J. Andreasen stated he shall uphold their spouse.
Katerina Andreasen stated she their hopping for top level but anticipating the worst.
“It’s likely to break my heart because We have a great family members right right here, ” she stated. “I’m nevertheless hoping something’s planning to change. ”