Sham marriage exposed by selfies: Phoney bride jailed over fake wedding was caught out after posing for pictures at a string of McDonald's
- Bride Hellen Adedjumo-Dani, 31, took selfies with partner in fast food chain
- Bride hoped pictures with Hungarian fake groom would convince authorities
- She and three other brides jailed for taking part in sham marriages
- 'Fixer' Azuha Izegbune, 38, arranged weddings so 'couples' could stay in UK
- Arranged for Nigerian and Hungarian nationals to wed in fake ceremonies
- Jailed for 31 months for five counts of conspiracy to breach immigration law
A fake bride who has been jailed for her part in a sham marriage ring, tried to prove her romance was real by taking a series of loved-up selfies at branches of McDonald's.
Hellen Adedjumo-Dani, 31, took photographs of herself with her Hungarian fake partner sharing burgers and fries inside fast food outlets to convince authorities of her relationship.
Investigating officers probing her case also found a selection of mobile phone snaps of the pair posing inside different McDonald’s restaurants across Birmingham.
Picture of happiness: Fake brideHellen Adedjumo-Dani, 31, took photographs of herself with her Hungarian partner in McDonald's to prove their love was real
The court heard of the extent pregnant Adedjumo-Dani had gone to cover her tracks, and investigators even found pictures of the pair relaxing in fluffy dressing gowns on a bed together- trying to look the picture of domestic bliss.
She had even changed her partner’s name to, 'Babe' in her phone to show her affection for him.
Adedjumo-Dani married her groom, who has not been named, at a Birmingham registry office in June 2013 and she had a picture of her wedding day saved on her mobile phone.
However, officers from the Home Office were not convinced by any of the McDonald’s selfies and Adedjumo-Dani was found guilty after a two-day trial in March this year.
She was jailed on Friday at Birmingham Crown Court for 22 months, along with three other brides and the main 'fixer' of the sham marriages, 38-year-old Azuha Izegbune, who was crucial in setting up fake weddings in order to grant to women visas.
Adedjumo- Dani, who is expecting a baby in October, has been warned that she could face possible deportation once she completes her prison sentence.
The court heard that ex-security guard Izegbune, from Birmingham, was paid to arrange fake weddings between Hungarian and Nigerian nationals so they could remain in the UK.
The weddings, staged at registry offices in Birmingham, Stoke and Glasgow, were arranged so both brides and grooms could secure European Area Residence Cards.
Some of the grooms were flown in to the UK just hours before the fake ceremonies took place, with the scam exposed following a Home Office probe.
Sentencing, Judge Elizabeth Stacey said Izegbune had undermined the UK’s border controls and described him as 'the lynch-pin, the organiser and the fixer' of an eight-month conspiracy between December 2012 and September 2013.
She said: 'You met registrars, bought plane tickets, acted as witness and interpreter and recruited Ivett Szanto to help you find Hungarian grooms and brides.
'I have read the wonderful testimonies about you. It’s just desperately sad that you have used your considerable charm and skills to take part in these activities.'
Izegbune is himself married to a Hungarian and has lived legally in the UK since 2009 with dual Nigerian and Hungarian nationality.
The father-of-two was jailed for 31 months after pleading guilty to five counts of conspiracy to facilitate a breach of UK immigration law.
Meanwhile, Hungarian national Ivett Szanto, 31, admitted taking part in one fake marriage with a Nigerian man who was also seeking a visa.
She had conspired with Nigerian-born ringleader Izegbune to help set up two further marriages with men she knew from her native Budapest.
Szanto had her sham marriage stopped mid-ceremony on May 30, 2013, in Stoke, Staffordshire, the court heard.
Sentencing her to 20 months, Judge Stacey said: 'Your role in this was much more peripheral. You were a small cog in the wheel. It was Izegbune who was directing you.'
The court heard the fake brides handed over an unknown amount of cash in a bid to win the residence cards - which would have given them the legal right to remain in the UK and Europe.
But two of the weddings were stopped halfway through and a price list for a £7,500 ceremony was later recovered.
It showed just a £20 budget was allocated for the wedding dress, rings and shoes.
Nigerian women Nwabunwanne Eze, 35, and Chioma Nwangwu, 28, both from Birmingham, were all jailed for taking part in their own fake marriages.
Nwangu married her groom Birmingham registry office in June 2013.
Eze attempted to marry at Glasgow registry office in August 2013 - but the ceremony was raided by investigators.
She and Nwangwu pleaded guilty to one charge of breaching immigration law and were jailed for 16 months and 17 months respectively.
The court heard that four members of Eze’s close family, including her own mother, were murdered on their farm in Nigeria in 2009.
She had studied Health and Social Care at South Birmingham College after arriving legitimately on a student visa in 2010.
She exhausted all the appeals to stay in the country and took part in the sham marriage just before she would have been forced to leave the country. She has since lodged an application seeking asylum.
Nwangwu worked in a bank in Nigeria before arriving in Birmingham to study at Birmingham City University in 2011.
She returned home, but came back on a six-month visitor visa and wanted to stay in the UK after that expired to be with her genuine partner - a Nigerian who is legally in the country.
The Nigerian women were all warned they would face possible deportation once they complete their prison sentences.
A Proceeds of Crime Act hearing is scheduled for Izegbune to be heard in September.
Speaking after sentencing Andy Radcliffe, from the Home Office’s Criminal and Financial Investigations Team, said: 'Izegbune thought he could profit from abusing the marriage system and the UK’s immigration laws.
'He was seen by the other individuals as their ticket to either stay in the UK, or gain financially. But all five are now behind bars.
'We will continue to work with registrars to tackle this issue. The message to anyone involved in this sort of criminality is clear.
'The Home Office has the resource and expertise to catch up with you and bring you to justice.'
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