Washington, Sep 10 (IANS): A father and a daughter were arrested in the US state of California on Wednesday for their alleged involvement in a marriage fraud scheme in which Chinese nationals paid to wed US citizens to obtain permanent resident cards.

Jason Shiao, 65, of Santa Fe Springs in southern California, who allegedly posed as an immigration lawyer, was arrested on Wednesday morning together with his daughter, Lynn Leung, 43, of Pasadena, Xinhua reported.

After three years of investigation, a federal criminal complaint filed on Tuesday alleges that Chinese nationals paid up to 50,000 dollars to enter into sham marriages in the hopes of obtaining lawful permanent resident cards, or the so called "green cards", according to the US Attorney's Office.

A third defendant charged in the case, Shannon Mendoza, 48, of Pacoima, was at large.

Shiao and Leung were taken into custody by special agents with US Immigration and Customs Enforcement and were expected to make their initial appearances soon in the US District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Shiao and Leung were allegedly lined up US citizen "spouses" for their clients and coached the couples on how to make the marriages appear genuine when questioned by immigration authorities.