Said Mahmoud Ibrahim Saleh, 29, of St. Thomas and Vilmarie Santos-Rosa, 24, of Luquillo, Puerto Rico, have been accused of marriage fraud.
Saleh was also charged with unlawful entry into the U.S.
The two-count indictment, returned by a federal grand jury, claims that Santos-Rosa and Saleh got married on Nov. 15, 1996, to evade immigration laws.
Saleh is also charged with entering the U.S. in July 1996 without being admitted by the Immigration and Naturalization Service, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Marriage fraud carries a maximum penalty of five years' imprisonment and a $250,000 fine.
Unlawful entry is punishable by six months' imprisonment and a $5,000 fine.
U.S. Attorney James Hurd commended the INS special agents in St. Thomas and Puerto Rico for their work on the case.