Ex-USCIS Officer Charged in $960K Citizenship Bribery
Ex-USCIS Officer Charged in $960K Citizenship Bribery
The News
A former senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services officer is charged with selling green cards and citizenship approvals for cash, in a scheme federal prosecutors say ran for more than six years.
Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu was arrested on Sept. 2 along with an alleged co-conspirator, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
Prosecutors allege Ganiyu approved and expedited applications for permanent residency and citizenship by bypassing required federal review procedures. Fox News reported the pair took nearly $960,000 in bribes to fast-track citizenship applications while skipping key checks.
The Numbers
An affidavit obtained by Newsweek alleges investigators found about $287,830 in unexplained cash deposits into Ganiyu's accounts and roughly $671,438 in direct payments through Zelle, Cash App and other platforms — at least some of it traced to USCIS applicants.
Over the same stretch, the affidavit says, Ganiyu earned about $407,838 in salary between 2020 and 2025 and reported no other employment.
Timeline
Ganiyu joins USCIS, according to the affidavit. He works in Kansas, Texas and North Carolina.
Start of the period prosecutors say Ganiyu used his position to approve immigration applications in exchange for money.
Ganiyu allegedly assigns himself Somoye's naturalization application and approves it the same day.
Ganiyu allegedly receives about $138,392 from Somoye through bank transfers, plus another $21,900 from a company Somoye managed.
Ganiyu is promoted to Senior Immigration Services Officer in Dallas.
The USCIS Office of Investigations receives an allegation that Ganiyu is selecting and processing certain applicants outside normal agency practice and policy. Investigators say a review of his government email account turned up personal bank statements, including Zelle payments from Somoye.
Ganiyu resigns from the agency, citing "personal reasons."
Ganiyu and Somoye are arrested.
Reactions
"Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust," U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a press release. "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."
USCIS said in a post on X: "There is no place in this agency for corruption, abuse of authority, or violations of public trust."
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said "the alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process essential to our national security."
Ganiyu's attorney argued for his release, saying the government was not alleging he posed a danger to the community and that GPS monitoring, travel limits and surrendering his U.S. and Nigerian passports would ensure he showed up in court.
What's Next
Ganiyu and Somoye each face a maximum of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted. Both are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Prosecutors tried to keep Ganiyu in custody pending trial, pointing to his dual U.S.-Nigerian citizenship, international travel history, foreign bank accounts and property in Nigeria as flight risks. Court records show a U.S. magistrate judge ordered him released under conditions.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham is prosecuting the case. Newsweek said it has asked USCIS and attorneys for both defendants for comment.
More
The applications at issue allegedly included Form I-485, used by people seeking lawful permanent resident status, along with petitions involving family sponsorship, removal of conditions on residency, and naturalization.
Investigators allege Ganiyu skipped required interviews, supervisory oversight, jurisdictional restrictions and background checks to speed approvals — and that many of the people who got benefits were not eligible for them under federal law. Prosecutors say the two men discussed the arrangements in "extensive WhatsApp communications."
The case was investigated by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the FBI's Dallas Field Office.
Poll
What should happen to immigration benefits approved in the alleged scheme?
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