A former senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official and his accomplice have been arrested and charged in an alleged bribery scheme that accumulated around $960,000 in exchange for manipulating the citizenship application process.
The federal prosecutors confirmed his identity as Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, who was appointed as a Senior Immigration Services Officer in Dallas, and his accomplice as Adeniyi Akeem Somoye.
Both were arrested on September 2 on charges of conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, the two individuals communicated extensively via WhatsApp from December 2019 to March 2026 in relation to their scheme. Prosecutors say Ganiyu bypassed the process by dodging criminal background checks, interviews, and supervision to fast-track applications made by bribers.
Ganiyu allegedly abused his position at USCIS to take control of field office applications in Minneapolis, Charlotte, and Houston, approving them on his own, without the knowledge of any of the local supervisors. He even reportedly fast-tracked citizenship for Somoye and approved residency for Somoye’s wife and kid before him.
Court documents have shown that Ganiyu received about $671,438 through Zelle and Cash App, and another $287,830 in cash deposits aimed at hiding the origin of funds. Somoye processed approximately $1.7 million in transactions and took a cut of the transaction as a bribe.
The inquiry started when USCIS got a tip in May 2025. Ganiyu resigned in March 2026, citing “personal reasons.”
Each of them faces up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Most affected applications reportedly involved citizens from African countries.
2026-09-07 18:15:00
