A former US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official and his associate have been charged over an alleged multi-year scheme to expedite immigration applications in exchange for bribes.
In a statement issued on Friday, the US attorney’s office in Texas said the two were arrested on Wednesday.
According to a complaint filed on August 31, Lukman Ganiyu, used his official position as 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 money.
Investigators alleged that Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory review, jurisdictional limitations, background checks and standard USCIS processing protocols to unlawfully expedite approvals for applicants, many of whom were not eligible under federal law.
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.