An eastern Iowa man has been turned over to immigration authorities and his sister sentenced to probation after they set up a sham marriage to keep the man in the United States.

The Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier reports that 27-year-old Selmir Salkanovic, of Waterloo, was accused of marrying a U.S. citizen purely to obtain an upgraded immigration status after he overstayed a tourism visa.

His sister, Sanela Dedic, was accused of paying off an unidentified American woman to be the bride in the fake marriage. The siblings pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit marriage fraud.

Dedic allegedly offered to pay the woman $5,000 and gave her a Ford Taurus. She also allegedly asked the woman to fill out immigration paperwork and travel to Omaha, Nebraska, for a hearing for her brother.