Senior immigration agent arrested for taking bribes to approve African applicants

A senior US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) officer has been accused of accepting nearly $960,000 in bribes in exchange for approving immigration applications.

Former USCIS officer Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and his associate, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, were charged by federal prosecutors for operating a scheme in which immigration applicants paid money to receive expedited or unlawful assistance with their cases. Ganiyu allegedly used his position to approve applications in exchange for money from December 2019 to March 2026.

Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory review, and other protocols. Investigators found WhatsApp communications between the two and multiple applicants whose cases they handled, with most of the applications coming from African countries.

According to the New York Post, Ganiyu received approximately $671,438 via Zelle and Cash App, along with another $287,830 in cash deposits intended to conceal the source of the money. Somoye allegedly handled roughly $1.7 million in transfer volume, some of which was attributed to immigration applicants, while keeping a portion of the money as payment.

The bribes were substantially greater than the men’s reported incomes. Ganiyu received an annual salary of $67,732, while Somoye claimed just $7,506 in yearly wages.

Ganiyu was not fired during the investigation. Instead, he resigned from USCIS in March, citing “personal reasons.”

The two men have been charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official and were arrested on September 2. They both face up to five years in prison.

“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” said United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould. “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.”