Metro
Former US Immigration Official, Associate Charged Over Alleged Bribery Scheme
A former US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official and his associate have been charged over an alleged multi-year scheme to fast-track immigration applications in exchange for bribes. According to The Cable, the US Attorney’s Office in Texas said in a statement issued on Friday that the two suspects were……
A former US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official and his associate have been charged over an alleged multi-year scheme to fast-track immigration applications in exchange for bribes.
According to The Cable, the US Attorney’s Office in Texas said in a statement issued on Friday that the two suspects were arrested on Wednesday.
According to a complaint filed on August 31, Lukman Ganiyu allegedly used his position as a senior immigration services officer with the USCIS to approve immigration applications, including Forms I-130, petition for alien relative; I-485, application to register permanent residence or adjust status; I-751, petition to remove conditions on residence; and N-400, application for naturalisation, in exchange for payments.
Investigators alleged that Ganiyu circumvented mandatory interviews, supervisory reviews, jurisdictional restrictions, background checks and standard USCIS processing procedures to unlawfully expedite applications, including those submitted by applicants who were not eligible under federal law.
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Ganiyu was said to have worked with Adeniyi Somoye, an associate, to collect hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from applicants, with several payments corresponding directly to immigration approvals issued by the former USCIS official.
Investigators also identified extensive WhatsApp communications between Ganiyu, Somoye and numerous applicants whose immigration cases they handled, including thousands of messages and hundreds of calls during the charged period.
The scheme reportedly ran from December 2019 through March 2026.
Ryan Raybould, US attorney, said selling immigration benefits for cash was a “blatant abuse of public trust”.
“When a federal official puts a price tag on lawful status, we will intervene immediately. Public corruption will never be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas,” Raybould said in a statement.
The case is being investigated by the USCIS, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the FBI.
Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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