A former Senior Immigration Services Officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been arrested for an “alleged multi‑year scheme to receive illegal gratuities in exchange for manipulating and expediting immigration applications,” the Justice Department announced.

Federal agents arrested Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and his accomplice on September 2.

“The alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process essential to our national security,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock.

“The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses their position of trust,” Rothrock added.

“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould.

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“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,” he added.

More from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Texas:

According to the complaint, from December 2019 through March 2026, Ganiyu used his official position 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 Naturalization—in exchange for money. Investigators allege 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.

The complaint alleges that Ganiyu and Somoye together collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from applicants, several of which correspond directly with immigration approvals issued by Ganiyu.

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.

Their initial court appearances were held on Sept. 2 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge. Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

According to Fox News, Ganiyu allegedly fast-tracked citizenship for Somoye and approved residency applications for Somoye’s wife and child.

Fox News shared further:

Ganiyu allegedly rerouted applications from USCIS field offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston, bypassing local supervisors so he could approve them himself.

Ganiyu received about $671,438 from citizenship applicants through Zelle and Cash App, along with $287,830 in cash deposits that prosecutors say were meant to conceal the money’s source, according to court documents, the New York Post reported.

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Acting as the alleged financial intermediary, Somoye processed roughly $1.7 million in transfers involving applicants, including through bank accounts, Zelle and Cash App, allegedly keeping a portion of the payments. He also deposited $449,010 in cash, court documents show, according to the New York Post.

The complaint alleges that Ganiyu and Somoye often exchanged money “back and forth” with applicants.

Most of the citizenship applications they handled involved applicants from African countries, according to prosecutors.

 

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