{"id":448655,"date":"2026-09-26T18:04:08","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T18:04:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/448655\/"},"modified":"2026-09-26T18:04:08","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T18:04:08","slug":"former-dallas-immigration-officer-accused-of-selling-shortcuts","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/448655\/","title":{"rendered":"Former Dallas immigration officer accused of selling shortcuts"},"content":{"rendered":"

A former Dallas immigration<\/a> officer is accused of selling shortcuts through the same federal system immigrants<\/a> normally have to navigate for green cards, family petitions and citizenship.<\/p>\n

A federal grand jury indicted Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former senior immigration services officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and his associate, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, on Wednesday, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.<\/p>\n

USCIS is the federal agency that handles immigration benefits, including green cards, family-based petitions and naturalization applications. In plain terms, prosecutors say Ganiyu worked inside the system applicants have to move through.<\/p>\n

According to prosecutors, Ganiyu used his official position from December 2019 through March 2026 to approve immigration applications in exchange for money, including family petitions, green card applications, petitions to remove conditions on residence and naturalization applications.<\/p>\n

Investigators allege Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory reviews, jurisdictional limits, background checks and USCIS processing protocols. Prosecutors said Ganiyu and Somoye collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from applicants, with many payments tied to approvals Ganiyu issued.<\/p>\n

“The indictment makes clear that Ganiyu gravely betrayed his oath as a public servant, and that he and Somoye knowingly violated federal law,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said. “Their actions, as alleged, corrupted the integrity of our immigration system and jeopardized national security by letting individuals evade essential vetting requirements.”<\/p>\n

Prosecutors said the case involved thousands of WhatsApp messages and calls between the defendants and applicants. A prior criminal complaint filed Aug. 31 charged the pair with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities as public officials, and federal agents arrested them Sept. 2.<\/p>\n

The practical question is what happens to applications prosecutors say may have skipped safeguards everyone else is expected to go through. DOJ did not say in Friday’s announcement how many immigration applications were affected or whether approved applications are being reviewed.<\/p>\n

More News<\/p>\n

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Safety<\/a> | Texas A&M e-scooters and e-bikes could be banned after crashes rise<\/a><\/p>\n

For the latest and best from Chron, sign up for our daily newsletter here.<\/a><\/p>\n

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