……Prosecutors allege applications were manipulated and expedited in exchange for payments, with some cases allegedly bypassing required checks and reviews.
A former U.S. immigration officer and a Nigerian associate have been charged over an alleged corruption scheme in which immigration applications were manipulated and expedited in exchange for money.
The defendants are Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former Senior Immigration Services Officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye.
The U.S. Department of Justice said the two men were arrested on September 2 after a federal criminal complaint accused them of conspiring to receive illegal gratuities by a public official.
According to the complaint, Ganiyu used his position at the USCIS Dallas Field Office between December 2019 and March 2026 to interfere with immigration applications outside his jurisdiction.
Prosecutors allege that he took control of applications assigned to other USCIS offices and approved some after bypassing required procedures, including supervisory reviews, interviews and background checks.
The alleged scheme involved applications for family-based immigration, permanent residency and naturalisation, according to the Justice Department.
Applications allegedly moved outside normal procedures
Investigators allege that Ganiyu manipulated USCIS’s electronic system to take control of cases being handled by field offices in locations including Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston.
In one case, prosecutors said he took control of an I-130 petition assigned to the Minneapolis-St. Paul field office and approved it after removing it from supervisory review.
The complaint also alleges that he later took control of three applications involving the applicant’s children and approved them after similarly bypassing supervisory procedures.
Investigators said phone records showed repeated contact between Ganiyu and some applicants whose cases he handled.
The Justice Department said investigators also uncovered thousands of WhatsApp messages and hundreds of calls involving Ganiyu, Somoye and applicants whose immigration cases were processed during the period under investigation.
Investigators trace hundreds of thousands in payments
The investigation also focused on Ganiyu’s financial records.
Authorities allege that investigators identified approximately $287,830 in cash deposits and about $671,438 in direct payments through platforms including Zelle and Cash App.
Some people who allegedly transferred money to Ganiyu were also listed in USCIS records as applicants with pending or recently approved immigration cases.
Investigators said they found no evidence of a second job or legitimate business that could explain the volume of transactions attributed to Ganiyu.
The Justice Department said the two defendants allegedly collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from applicants, with some payments corresponding to immigration approvals issued by Ganiyu.
Somoye allegedly linked to payments
Prosecutors also allege that Somoye acted as a financial intermediary in the scheme.
Investigators identified financial transactions between Somoye and Ganiyu and communications between the two men around periods when immigration applications were approved.
The complaint alleges that Somoye transferred money to Ganiyu and was connected to additional transactions involving a company associated with him.
Authorities also examined financial activity involving people whose immigration cases were allegedly handled by Ganiyu.
The investigation is therefore focused not only on alleged payments to a federal employee but also on whether those payments were connected to specific immigration benefits.
Alleged scheme involved green cards and citizenship applications
The cases under investigation included applications for green cards and U.S. citizenship, as well as other immigration petitions.
The Justice Department said Ganiyu allegedly used his official position to approve applications in exchange for money and, in some cases, expedited applications for people who prosecutors allege were not eligible under federal law.
The allegations raise questions about the integrity of the U.S. immigration approval process because the alleged conduct involved an employee using access to government systems to interfere with applications outside normal procedures.
The investigation was conducted by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the FBI Dallas Field Office.
Ganiyu resigned before arrest
Ganiyu left USCIS in March 2026, according to the allegations and government release.
Federal authorities arrested both defendants on September 2, with their initial court appearances held the same day before a U.S. magistrate judge.
Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted of the charged conspiracy.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas described the alleged conduct as an abuse of public trust, while the FBI said manipulating immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process tied to national security.
What happens next
The case will now proceed through the U.S. federal court system.
The charges are based on a criminal complaint, and the allegations have not been proven in court.
The U.S. Department of Justice’s announcement on the charges provides the government’s account of the investigation and the allegations against the defendants.
Both Ganiyu and Somoye are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
