Or was it? The U.S. Attorney's Office in Salt Lake City says the relationships were shams designed to bring undocumented foreign nationals into the country. On Friday, prosecutors charged 56 citizens with misdemeanor aiding and abetting the attempted entry of an illegal alien.

The defendants, who will be arraigned later this month, are accused of filing immigration petitions that falsely stated an immigrant was their bona fide spouse or fiance. They face up to six months in jail if convicted.

The petitions were filed from late 2003 to late 2005. In August 2006, two dozen other people, including five alleged ringleaders of the scheme, were indicted on felony charges related to evading immigration laws. Authorities allege that Vietnamese nationals were paying $30,000 to marry Utahns in the hope of being allowed to live in the United States. - Pamela Manson