En esta noticia
A former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official was arrested after federal authorities accused him of taking illegal payments to manipulate and expedite immigration applications, including cases involving permanent residency and naturalization.
Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former Senior Immigration Services Officer with USCIS, and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye were arrested on September 2 following a federal investigation into an alleged corruption scheme that prosecutors say operated for several years. Both men face federal charges related to allegedly accepting illegal gratuities as public officials.
What the former USCIS official is accused of doing
According to a criminal complaint filed on August 31, Ganiyu allegedly used his position at USCIS to approve immigration applications in exchange for money between December 2019 and March 2026.
The applications included Form I-130 petitions for relatives, Form I-485 applications for permanent residence or adjustment of status, Form I-751 petitions to remove conditions on residence, and Form N-400 applications for naturalization.
Federal investigators allege that Ganiyu bypassed standard USCIS procedures to speed up applications. The complaint says this included avoiding required interviews, supervisory reviews, jurisdictional restrictions, background checks, and other processing protocols.
Some of the applicants allegedly were not eligible for the immigration benefits they received, according to prosecutors.
Nearly $1 million in alleged payments
The investigation alleges that Ganiyu and Somoye collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from applicants whose cases were handled by Ganiyu.
Federal authorities said several payments corresponded directly with immigration approvals issued by Ganiyu. Investigators also identified thousands of WhatsApp messages and hundreds of phone calls involving the former USCIS official, Somoye and applicants whose cases they handled.
The case was investigated by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office.
What happens next in the case
Both defendants appeared in federal court on September 2 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Each faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.
The U.S. Department of Justice emphasized that the criminal complaint contains allegations and is not evidence of guilt. Both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.