A former immigration official is accused of turning citizenship approvals

A former senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official and an alleged accomplice are facing federal charges. Prosecutors accused them of taking nearly $960,000 to manipulate and expedite immigration applications as well as citizenship cases.

Per Fox, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former Senior Immigration Services Officer, and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye were arrested and charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

Ganiyu did not get fired from USCIS, according to prosecutors. They say he resigned in March, citing “personal reasons,” months before his arrest. Investigators now allege that he had used his position to bypass parts of the immigration process and approve applications in exchange for payments.

Applications were allegedly fast-tracked for cash

According to the federal complaint, Ganiyu allegedly used his access to the USCIS system to take control of applications that normally would have been handled by other field offices. Prosecutors say he rerouted cases from offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston so he could approve them himself, bypassing local supervisors and other standard procedures.

The applications included petitions and requests involving family immigration, permanent residency and naturalization. Prosecutors allege Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, background checks, supervisory review and other USCIS procedures, sometimes approving applications for people who were allegedly not eligible under federal law.

U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould called the alleged conduct “a blatant abuse of public trust,” saying federal authorities would intervene when an official puts a price on lawful immigration status. The case lands amid a broader stretch of scrutiny over how the U.S. immigration system operates under the current administration 

The case was investigated by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office. Both men face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000 if convicted.