A former U.S. immigration office worker who joined with others to make more than $1 million by producing hundreds of fake green cards was among 30 people charged when the sham marriage scam was broken up yesterday, officials said.

A U.S. immigration office worker, Phillip Browne, who resigned in November, allegedly conspired with his sister from April 2001 until November to provide the permanent residence documents in exchange for fees ranging between $8,000 and $16,000.

The sister, Beverly Mozer-Browne, owned and operated a Queens business, Help Preparers Professional Services, that claimed to offer financial and legal help when its primary business was actually to provide the bogus documents, according to an indictment in U.S. District Court in Manhattan.

Mr. Browne, 40, and Ms. Mozer-Browne, 49, had residences in Brooklyn and Kissimmee, Fla., authorities said. They were awaiting appearances in court. It was unclear who would represent them. Authorities said 27 of 30 people were arrested yesterday and three were being sought.

Prosecutors said the business paid American citizens to enter sham marriages with some applicants for green cards while it produced phony documents for other clients to indicate a marriage to an American citizen had occurred sometime in the past.

The scam also relied on the creation of fraudulent birth certificates and fictitious letters from employers and banks, the indictment said.

Mr. Browne, a district adjudication officer for the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office, formerly known as the Immigration and Naturalization Services, eased approval of phony applications by generating green cards without the required interview, prosecutors said.