Politics
Top Immigration Official Caught Selling Green Cards
A former senior U.S. immigration official has been arrested after federal prosecutors accused him of turning America’s legal immigration system into a pay-to-play operation that allegedly handed out green cards and other benefits for cash.
Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former senior immigration services officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was arrested Sept. 2 alongside alleged co-conspirator Adeniyi Akeem Somoye.
Federal prosecutors say the pair participated in a years-long scheme in which Ganiyu allegedly manipulated and expedited immigration applications in exchange for payments.
The alleged scheme stretched from December 2019 through March 2026, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas.
Investigators accuse Ganiyu of using his government position to approve applications for permanent residency, family sponsorship, removal of residency conditions and U.S. citizenship while sidestepping safeguards built into the immigration system.
Authorities allege he bypassed required interviews, background checks, supervisory reviews, jurisdictional requirements and other standard USCIS procedures.
Prosecutors said many of the applicants who benefited from the alleged operation were not legally eligible for the immigration benefits they received.
USCIS employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior.
There is no place in this agency for corruption, abuse of authority, or violations of public trust.
We’re grateful to the @TheJusticeDept and the @NDTXnews for pursuing justice in this…
— USCIS (@USCIS) September 6, 2026
“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a press release. “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.”
Investigators say Ganiyu and Somoye communicated extensively through WhatsApp while allegedly collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from immigration applicants.
According to an affidavit, investigators identified approximately $287,830 in unexplained cash deposits into Ganiyu’s accounts and roughly $671,438 in payments made through Zelle, Cash App and other platforms.
POLL: Should Migrants Who Murder Americans Face The Death Penalty?
Authorities said at least some of those payments were connected to people whose immigration cases were handled by Ganiyu.
The filing states that Ganiyu earned about $407,838 in government salary between 2020 and 2025 and reported no other employment while working at USCIS.
The investigation began after the USCIS Office of Investigations received an allegation in May 2025 that Ganiyu was selecting and processing particular immigration cases outside normal agency procedures.
A review of his government email account allegedly uncovered personal financial records, including bank statements showing payments from Somoye.
Ganiyu joined USCIS in November 2018 and worked in Kansas, Texas and North Carolina before being promoted to senior immigration services officer in Dallas in April 2024.
Investigators allege that Ganiyu assigned himself to Somoye’s naturalization application and approved it the same day in December 2022.
Authorities said Ganiyu later received approximately $138,392 from Somoye through bank transfers between May 2023 and January 2026, along with another $21,900 from a company managed by Somoye.
Ganiyu resigned from USCIS on March 21, 2026, citing “personal reasons,” according to the filing.
USCIS condemned the alleged misconduct after the arrests.
“There is no place in this agency for corruption, abuse of authority, or violations of public trust,” USCIS wrote in a post on X.
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said the allegations strike at a system tied directly to national security.
“The alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process essential to our national security.”
Ganiyu’s attorney, Alfonso Cabanas, said his client “denies any criminal conduct” and disputes the government’s description of both the financial transactions and immigration cases cited by investigators.
Federal prosecutors sought to keep Ganiyu jailed pending trial, arguing that his dual U.S.-Nigerian citizenship, foreign bank accounts, international travel and property ownership in Nigeria made him a flight risk.
A federal magistrate judge instead ordered his release under conditions that include travel restrictions, GPS monitoring and the surrender of his U.S. and Nigerian passports.
Cabanas said Ganiyu intends to comply with those conditions and contest the allegations in court.
Ganiyu and Somoye are each charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official. If convicted, each faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
The case was investigated by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office.
The charges remain allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
