3 sued over marriage annulment racket
A formal charge was filed against three persons including a live-in partner before the Department of Justice for their marriage annulment racket.
The charges were filed shortly after the National Bureau of Investigation caught the erring suspects during an entrapment operation offering bogus annulment of marriage earlier.
Charged before the DoJ were Carl Reyes, and live-in partners Marco Norega and Rona Castillo.
They are now facing estafa in relation to RA 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), Section 12 of RA 9485 (Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007), and Falsification of Official Documents.
A series of surveillance operations by the NBI-Special Action Unit has confirmed the suspects' illegal activities.
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The NBI said that on 8 September 2022, two teams were deployed by NBI-SAU for the simultaneous entrapment operations.
The first team proceeded to a mall in Pasay City and was able to apprehend Reyes, who offered an undercover agent deletion of his record of marriage with Philippine Statistical Authority.
The offer seemed irresistible because the suspects told the would-be victims that in four months' time their marriage would be deleted in exchange for P180,000.
To get the process going the suspects will demand a 75 percent down payment to those they will transact with.
The suspects were arrested after they handed the marked money to the NBI-SAU operatives.
The second team proceeded to Bacoor, Cavite and met with live-in partners Norega and Castillo, who offered the poseur-client their services in obtaining marriage annulment documents within 5 to 8 months.
To prove that they are legitimate, suspect Castillo presented official documents issued and signed by a "Judge of a certain RTC (Regional Trial Court) Branch in Manila" pertaining to a Nullity of Marriage dated 23 February 2022.
The couple was immediately arrested by undercover agents after handing over to them the down payment of P40,000 in marked money.
The operation stemmed from a request for investigation by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo who noted advertisements online offering annulment of marriage.
