Mexican-born actress Fernanda Romero pleads not guilty to marriage fraud in Los Angeles

Mexican-born actress pleads not guilty in LA

LOS ANGELES — A Mexican-born actress living in Los Angeles has pleaded not guilty to charges that she had a phony marriage.

Fernanda Romero and her American husband, Kent Ross, both 28, pleaded not guilty Monday to federal marriage fraud charges. Each could face up to five years in federal prison if convicted.

The U.S. attorney’s office says Romero paid Ross $5,000 to marry her in 2005 so she could become a U.S. resident but that they never lived together.

An investigation began after Romero’s ex-boyfriend, fashion photographer Markus Klinko, told immigration authorities her marriage was a sham.

Romero has had roles in several small films, including last year’s “Drag Me to Hell.” She’s better-known in Mexico, where she appeared in the TV Azteca soap “Eternamente Tuya.”