A former senior official of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and an alleged accomplice were arrested after being accused of receiving hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for approving green cards, citizenship applications, and other immigration benefits for over six years.
The detainees are Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former senior official of USCIS Immigration Services, and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, identified as his associate, reported the United States Department of Justice.
Both were arrested on September 2 and are facing a federal charge of conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities for official acts. The criminal complaint was filed on August 31 in the Northern District of Texas.
According to the investigators, the scheme operated from December 2019 to March 2026 and allowed Ganiyu to exploit his position within USCIS to favor immigration applications in exchange for money.
Among the processes that would have been approved were applications for permanent residency, petitions for foreign relatives, naturalizations, and requests to remove the conditions of residency.
He would have skipped interviews and verifications
The complaint alleges that Ganiyu used his access and authority within USCIS to bypass established controls in the processing of cases.
Researchers assert that he would have omitted mandatory interviews, supervisor reviews, and background checks, among other procedures, to facilitate approvals.
Some of the beneficiaries may not have met the requirements established by federal legislation, according to the authorities.
The Department of Justice claims that Ganiyu and Somoye collectively received hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments directly linked to the immigration decisions made by the then-official.
The investigation also found extensive communication between the accused and individuals related to the requests. Authorities claim to have identified thousands of WhatsApp messages and hundreds of calls during the period under investigation.
"Putting a price on the legal situation"
The federal prosecutor for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, described the accusations as a serious abuse of public office.
"Selling immigration benefits for money is a blatant abuse of public trust," he stated. "When a federal official puts a price on legal status, we will intervene immediately."
R. Joseph Rothrock, special agent in charge of the FBI in Dallas, noted that the alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process related to national security.
The investigation was conducted jointly by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Inspector General, and the FBI in Dallas.
The Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham from the Fraud section is in charge of the proceedings.
The authorities have not publicly specified how many immigration benefits would have been approved through the alleged scheme, nor what will happen to the files of the individuals who supposedly paid to obtain them.
Ganiyu and Somoye face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 each if they are found guilty.
The accusations contained in the complaint are allegations, and both must be considered innocent until their guilt is proven in a court of law.
Este caso revela vulnerabilidades dentro del propio sistema migratorio de EE.UU. Para seguir de cerca este y otros desarrollos relacionados, puede consultar nuestra sección de
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