Former USCIS official, accomplice charged in alleged $960K citizenship bribery scheme

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A former senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services official and his accomplice are facing charges for an alleged bribery scheme in which they accepted nearly $960,000 in exchange for favors in the processing immigration benefit applications, including citizenship cases.

The former official, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, and his financial accomplice, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, were arrested on federal charges for their roles in an alleged multi‑year scheme to receive illegal gratuities in exchange for manipulating and expediting immigration applications, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas.

The pair were charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official, and they were arrested on Wednesday.

Investigators found extensive WhatsApp messages between Ganiyu, Somoye and numerous applicants whose immigration cases they handled, including thousands of messages and hundreds of calls.

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People wait inside a USCIS office as the agency changes its asylum adjudication process

Between December 2019 and March 2026, the duo allegedly bypassed standard procedures by pushing applicants who paid bribes directly to Ganiyu, skipping key steps in the immigration process such as criminal background checks, interviews, standard USCIS processing protocols and other reviews, according to prosecutors.

Prosecutors allege Ganiyu altered the USCIS system to fast-track applications in exchange for money, prosecutors said.

He allegedly fast-tracked citizenship for Somoye before he approved residency applications for Somoye’s wife and child.

Ganiyu allegedly rerouted applications from USCIS field offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston, bypassing local supervisors so he could approve them himself.

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Ganiyu received about $671,438 from citizenship applicants through Zelle and Cash App, along with $287,830 in cash deposits that prosecutors say were meant to conceal the money’s source, according to court documents, the New York Post reported.

Acting as the alleged financial intermediary, Somoye processed roughly $1.7 million in transfers involving applicants, including through bank accounts, Zelle and Cash App, allegedly keeping a portion of the payments. He also deposited $449,010 in cash, court documents show, according to the ew York Post.

The complaint alleges that Ganiyu and Somoye often exchanged money “back and forth” with applicants.

Most of the citizenship applications they handled involved applicants from African countries, according to prosecutors.

A woman holds an American flag at a citizenship ceremony.

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According to prosecutors, Ganiyu resigned from USCIS in March, citing “personal reasons,” several months before his arrest.

“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould said in a statement. “When a federal official puts a price tag on lawful status, we will intervene immediately.”

Each defendant faces up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.

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