A former senior official with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) and his accomplice have been charged with participating in a bribery scheme that involved nearly $960,000 in exchange for favors in the processing of immigration benefit applications.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas, the former official, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, and his financial accomplice, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, were arrested on federal charges for their roles in an alleged multi-year scheme to receive illegal gratuities in exchange for manipulating and expediting immigration applications.
Prosecutors allege that the pair bypassed standard procedures by pushing applicants who paid bribes directly to Ganiyu, skipping key steps in the immigration process such as criminal background checks, interviews, and standard USCIS processing protocols. Ganiyu allegedly altered the USCIS system to fast-track applications in exchange for money, and fast-tracked citizenship for Somoye before approving residency applications for his wife and child.
The investigation found extensive communication between Ganiyu, Somoye, and numerous applicants whose immigration cases they handled, including thousands of messages and hundreds of calls. Ganiyu received about $671,438 from citizenship applicants through Zelle and Cash App, along with $287,830 in cash deposits, while Somoye processed roughly $1.7 million in transfers involving applicants.
Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000. The U.S. Attorney's Office stated that "selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust" and that the government will intervene immediately when a federal official puts a price tag on lawful status.
NTC Report coverage is based on reporting from the original publisher.
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