TAMPA -- The scam is familiar: People from a foreign country pay a U.S. citizen to marry them, paving the way for a coveted work visa and possible citizenship.

They often remain in the country for years, sometimes helping family members pull off the same charade.

Before Sept. 11, tracking down and arresting immigrants in sham marriages was not a priority for the federal government.

Now, to help shore up homeland security, Attorney General John Ashcroft has commanded federal agencies like the FBI and the Immigration and Naturalization Service to aggressively investigate immigration cases, including visa violations and suspicious marriages.

Already, four Jordanians from Tampa have been arrested and jailed and face deportation on charges they faked marriages to stay in the country.

"It is clear they entered into these marriages to help their immigration status," said Steve Cole, a spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Tampa. "They were not what we would call regular marriages."

Cole said the laws apply to everyone, and that people of Middle Eastern descent have not been singled out. Authorities did not discuss how they concluded the marriages were a sham or how much, if any, money changed hands.

Indicted by a grand jury Wednesday were Nasri Al Hamdan and his brother, Montaser Hamdan Al Hamdan, and Nermine Hani Ayoub Al Khammash. Each faces one count of knowingly entering into a marriage with a U.S citizen for the purpose of evading immigration laws. If convicted, they could face five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

Mohammad Basheer Al Qaryuti faces the same charge plus one count of making false statements under oath with respect to an immigration visa. He faces up to 15 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.

At a 20-minute hearing in federal court Thursday, the defendants pleaded not guilty. An Arabic translator was called in because some of the defendants had difficulty understanding English. The prosecutor said the defendants were a possible risk to leave the area, and the judge ordered that they be held in jail without bail. There was no evidence they have any connection to the terrorist attacks.

A brother of the Al Hamdans said the defendants all knew each other. The brother said they were born and raised in Kuwait City, but are considered citizens of Jordan. They came to the United States after the Gulf War, seeking freedom and a better life, he said.

Nasri Al Hamdan has been in the country the longest, about six years, he said. The others came in the past year or two. The brother, who did not want his name used because he feared reprisals from federal authorities, said Al Khammash is pregnant.

He called the marriages legitimate. It was obvious, he said, that federal authorities were finding any excuse they could to go after people of Arab descent.

He said his brothers would rather be sent back to Jordan immediately than spend the next several months in jail and then be deported anyway.

Neal Sonnett, an immigration expert and former chairman with the American Bar Association, said that in the past some people who faked a marriage were charged with a crime, and others simply were deported. It's a matter of prioritizing resources, he said.

In the current climate, prosecutors might decide to criminally charge more defendants to justify detaining them, he said.

"Under the new laws, they cannot detain someone indefinitely without charging them or deporting them," he said. "I'd think we will see a lot more people facing criminal charges like these."

An INS official in the courtroom told the lawyers for the defendants that once the criminal charges were resolved, deportation would take about 30 days, provided the defendants did not put up a fight.

According to state records, Nasri Al Hamdan, 32, married Shawanda T. Parse in 1997. Montaser Hamdan Al Hamdan, 31, married Lori J. Guggino, 38, in March. Four days later, Al Qaryuti, 42, married 18-year-old Amanda Cheryl Hampton. The next month, Al Khammash, 25, married William R. Griffith, 30.

They all married in Tampa. Three had religious ceremonies; one was a civil ceremony. According to state records, it was the first marriage for everyone involved, except Griffith, who had been married and divorced in 1991.

The U.S. citizens involved -- Parse, Guggino, Hampton and Griffith -- have not been charged with a crime and could not be reached for comment. Griffith has been arrested several times for domestic abuse and battery, according to state records. Guggino has several drug-related arrests, according to state records.

-- Times staffers John Martin and Tamara Lush contributed to this report. Contact Graham Brink at (813) 226-3365 or brink@sptimes.com.

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