Former USCIS Officer Charged in Alleged Immigration Benefits Scheme

A former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer has been arrested and charged in connection with an alleged scheme to sell immigration benefits, including green cards.

Arrest and Allegations

Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu was taken into custody on September 2, facing charges from a reported years-long corruption scheme involving immigration applications, according to federal prosecutors.

Prosecutors claim that between December 2019 and March 2026, Ganiyu exploited his role at USCIS to approve immigration applications in return for financial compensation. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, he unlawfully expedited applications for permanent residency and citizenship by bypassing mandatory federal review procedures.

Scope of Alleged Corruption

The applications involved allegedly included Form I-485, designed for individuals seeking lawful permanent resident status, as well as petitions concerning family sponsorship, residency condition removal, and naturalization.

Ganiyu, along with alleged co-conspirator Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, reportedly organized these arrangements through “extensive WhatsApp communications,” collecting substantial sums from applicants. Somoye was also arrested on September 2.

“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould stated in a press release. “When a federal official places a price on lawful status, immediate intervention occurs. Public corruption will never be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”

In a post on X, USCIS emphasized, “There is no place in this agency for corruption, abuse of authority, or violations of public trust.”

This story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available.