Sailors took sham Polish and Romanian brides to boost pay

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

MIAMI (Reuters) - Eight U.S. sailors at a Florida navy station fraudulently married Polish and Romanian women in order to collect extra housing allowances, according to federal charges filed on Tuesday.

The women did not live with their Navy husbands, but used the sham marriages to apply for U.S. citizenship, U.S. Attorney Paul Perez said in a news release.

The sailors, seven of whom are still in the Navy, were all stationed at the Mayport naval station in northeast Florida.

They were charged with conspiracy, marriage fraud and making false claims to the government to collect $35,000 worth of extra housing allowances.

The tax-free allowances for off-base housing are based partly on marital status and number of dependents.

A federal probe began in September when a sailor told the Naval Criminal Investigative Service that another sailor offered him the extra housing allowance in exchange for marrying a Polish woman. He said the sailor who acted as matchmaker collected $6,000 from the bride.

http://today.reuters.com/news/newsarticle....LORS.xml&rpc=22

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Single people should be paid the same wages in the military as married people. This wouldn't happen then.

[mikeize 0]

I've been trying to tell you that sailors should be banned from marrying because they are murkifying the sanctity of marriage. Nobody ever listens...

-mike

[canadalaura 0]

Single people should be paid the same wages in the military as married people. This wouldn't happen then.

Yeah, but then the single guys shouldn't get free room and board!

[Sister Fracas 5]

tsk....

[rbhigday 0]

Not all sailors are like this, and I am insulted at the implication.

I was a sailor when I married Silvia, I retired with 20 years in, just because there is a few idoits should not mean the rest are bad and should pay for the misgivings of a few

[canadalaura 0]

I not that it's my place to speculate on why people get married but we know of several people that we suspect BAH (housing allowance) as being a motivating factor!!!

[LenJayUS 0]

technically... all the military people make the same salary based on their years of service and pay grade... single or married. Those that have a family get to live off post if there is a shortage of in-post housing... so they get paid a housing allowance. They also get paid for eating with their family as well... so they get paid for rations. Rations (BAS) was around 300.00 a month when I was in... BAH depended on your location.

Easier send then done about everyone making the same thing though... I guess technically you can say they all get paid the same... those single people get a free room so they don't get BAH... and they get to eat for free in the mess hall... so no BAS.

[Sister Fracas 5]

Not all sailors are like this, and I am insulted at the implication.

I was a sailor when I married Silvia, I retired with 20 years in, just because there is a few idoits should not mean the rest are bad and should pay for the misgivings of a few

I'm missing the post that implies all sailors are like this....

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Not all sailors are like this, and I am insulted at the implication.

I was a sailor when I married Silvia, I retired with 20 years in, just because there is a few idoits should not mean the rest are bad and should pay for the misgivings of a few

I'm missing the post that implies all sailors are like this....

Some people go through life looking for ways to be offended....

[Mirorgate 0]

Not all sailors are like this, and I am insulted at the implication.

I was a sailor when I married Silvia, I retired with 20 years in, just because there is a few idoits should not mean the rest are bad and should pay for the misgivings of a few

I'm missing the post that implies all sailors are like this....

Some people go through life looking for ways to be offended....

How dare you! You take that back! I'm... hmmmm... ok, never mind

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Single people should be paid the same wages in the military as married people. This wouldn't happen then.

Yeah, but then the single guys shouldn't get free room and board!

The married guys get the same free room and board plus extra money for off base housing. so there.

[canadalaura 0]

Single people should be paid the same wages in the military as married people. This wouldn't happen then.

Yeah, but then the single guys shouldn't get free room and board!

The married guys get the same free room and board plus extra money for off base housing. so there.

huh? We get BAH of like $975... our rent is $975 in base housing. Were we tolive off base an apartment would probably be about $800 plus utilities...

oh wait... I get it... yeah, married guys who don't actually live with their wives can stay in the married barrcks for like $1/day, I think and they still get to pocket that $975/month (or whatever it is inyour area) hmmmm... but - I don't think that this is only restricted to marrying foreigners to scam the system... it would be way easier to marry domestic! We suspect a few marriages as being semi-convenience-based, or at least the wife has moved away, but they're not getting divorced just so they can continue to get BAH.

[Hilarious Clinton 452]

Single people should be paid the same wages in the military as married people. This wouldn't happen then.

Yeah, but then the single guys shouldn't get free room and board!

The married guys get the same free room and board plus extra money for off base housing. so there.

huh? We get BAH of like $975... our rent is $975 in base housing. Were we tolive off base an apartment would probably be about $800 plus utilities...

oh wait... I get it... yeah, married guys who don't actually live with their wives can stay in the married barrcks for like $1/day, I think and they still get to pocket that $975/month (or whatever it is inyour area) hmmmm... but - I don't think that this is only restricted to marrying foreigners to scam the system... it would be way easier to marry domestic! We suspect a few marriages as being semi-convenience-based, or at least the wife has moved away, but they're not getting divorced just so they can continue to get BAH.

Your choice to get married. Look I'm not saying you shouldn't be getting paid for housing but the single guys should be paid the same wage as the married for doing the same job.

Wouldn't you agree?

[Ladylethal 12]

Funny, before when I read about these marriage frauds I didn´t care at all, but now it all keeps me alert that it might toughen up the process for us.