'Blatant Abuse of Public Trust': Former USCIS Officer Arrested in Alleged Cash-for-Benefits Plot

A former senior officer at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has been arrested and charged over an alleged multi-year scheme to manipulate and expedite immigration applications in exchange for money, with investigators identifying nearly US$960,000 in payments and unexplained cash deposits.

Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former Senior Immigration Services Officer with USCIS, and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye were arrested on 2 September after a federal criminal complaint accused them of conspiring to receive illegal gratuities through the manipulation of immigration benefits. The complaint was filed on 31 August, and the arrests were announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas on 4 September.

'Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,' U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said. He added that federal authorities would intervene when a government official put 'a price tag on lawful status'.

What the Complaint Alleges

According to the complaint, the alleged scheme ran from December 2019 through March 2026. Prosecutors allege Ganiyu used his official position to approve immigration applications in exchange for money, including Form I-130, Form I-485, Form I-751 and Form N-400.

Investigators allege that Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory review, jurisdictional restrictions, background checks and standard USCIS processing procedures to accelerate applications. The complaint alleges many of the applicants were not eligible for the immigration benefits they received under federal law.

The Justice Department said Ganiyu and Somoye collected hundreds of thousands of dollars from applicants, with several payments allegedly corresponding directly with immigration approvals issued by Ganiyu. Investigators also identified extensive WhatsApp communications between the two men and numerous applicants, including thousands of messages and hundreds of calls during the period covered by the complaint.

An affidavit obtained by Newsweek alleges investigators identified about US$287,830 in unexplained cash deposits into Ganiyu's accounts and roughly US$671,438 in payments through Zelle, Cash App and other platforms. Some of those transactions were linked to USCIS applicants, according to the affidavit.

The affidavit also states that Ganiyu earned about US$407,838 in salary between 2020 and 2025 and had no other reported employment while working for USCIS.

The Somoye Connection

One of the cases cited by investigators involved Somoye's naturalisation application. The affidavit alleges Ganiyu assigned the application to himself and approved it on the same day in December 2022.

Investigators later identified approximately US$138,392 in transfers from Somoye to Ganiyu between May 2023 and January 2026, along with another US$21,900 from a company managed by Somoye, according to the affidavit.

The investigation began after the USCIS Office of Investigations received an allegation in May 2025 that Ganiyu was selecting and processing certain applicants outside normal agency practices. Investigators said a review of his government email account uncovered personal bank statements and records of 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, according to the affidavit. He later resigned, citing personal reasons.

Defence Denies Criminal Conduct

Ganiyu's attorney, Alfonso Cabanas, told Newsweek that his client 'denies any criminal conduct' and disputes the government's characterisation of the financial transactions and immigration applications cited in the complaint. Cabanas said Ganiyu would comply with court-imposed conditions and that the defence planned to contest the allegations through the judicial process.

Federal prosecutors sought to keep Ganiyu in custody pending trial, citing his dual U.S.-Nigerian citizenship, international travel history, foreign bank accounts and property in Nigeria as factors they said made him a flight risk. A U.S. magistrate judge instead ordered his release under conditions including GPS monitoring, travel restrictions and the surrender of his U.S. and Nigerian passports.

Both defendants made their initial court appearances on 2 September. Each faces a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison and a fine of up to US$250,000 if convicted.

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. Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham of the Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

The Justice Department stressed that the criminal complaint contains allegations, not findings of guilt. Ganiyu and Somoye are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in court.