Mexican Actress' Sham Marriage Trial: Will Fernanda Romero Go to Prison?

LOS ANGELES (CBS/AP) Mexican-born actress Fernanda Romero has had bit parts in such movies as the horror film "Drag Me to Hell," but federal prosecutors say her biggest act was pretending to be a married woman.

PICTURES: Mexican Actress in Sham Marriage Trial

Romero and her husband, musician Kent Ross are accused of maintaining a sham marriage so that Romero could stay in the country.

The two said Tuesday in court that they loved each other and intended to start a life together when they married in 2005.

Romero and Ross were among the last witnesses in the marriage fraud trial that could send the pair to federal prison for as long as five years if they are convicted.

Jury deliberations could begin Wednesday after closing arguments.

Throughout the three-day trial, prosecutors have shown numerous documents showing the couple maintained separate homes. Additionally, witnesses said the pair told them their marriage was a fake.

Romero testified over two days about her modeling experience and work as an actress. She is probably best known in her native Mexico for her part on the TV Azteca soap opera "Eternamente Tuya."

PICTURES: Mexican Actress in Sham Marriage Trial

In testimony, the couple acknowledged that deep rifts developed in the first six months of their marriage, but they insisted they have a special relationship.

"It was very sudden, very immature, not well-thought out," Ross told the jury. "I had a tiger by the tail. I wanted to keep her here."

Romero described the early months of their marriage as "loving, fun, passionate." He called that "the honeymoon phase."

Ross acknowledged under questioning by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Left that he never told his mother or brother about the marriage.

The musician and pizza restaurant manager accepted the blame for the couple's separation in early 2006. The relationship deteriorated after he refused to travel to meet Romero's family for Christmas in 2005 and as his drinking spiraled out of control, he said.

"Things went south very, very fast," Ross said. Asked why he never sought a divorce, Ross said, "I never stopped loving her. I still love her."

Romero and Ross admitted that they maintained separate apartments and that some of Romero's prior residences weren't listed on immigration forms. The prosecutor is also trying to prove the pair lied on immigration forms.

Romero downplayed her relationship with fashion photographer Markus Klinko, who testified for prosecutors and previously alleged in an unrelated lawsuit that the marriage of Romero and Ross was a fake. "We had a short affair," Romero testified about Klinko. "It was dumb, stupid." She began to cry and said, "It was the biggest mistake I've done in my life."

Romero's attorneys have sought to portray Klinko as a jealous ex-lover, but U.S. District Judge Manuel Real has kept jurors from hearing most of those claims.

After testimony ended, the judge drew a parallel between the case and Romero's acting career.

"It was like a soap opera, not a trial on these charges," Real said.