Former USCIS Official Charged in $960,000 Immigration Bribery Scheme
Source: USCIS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Texas arrested and charged former U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and his accomplice on September 7 for accepting approximately $960,000 in bribes to approve immigration applications without interviews, background checks, or supervisory review. An unknown number of ineligible individuals received green cards or citizenship through the scheme over a six-year period.
ANALYSIS
Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu was arrested September 2, 2026, and charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official. Between December 2019 and March 2026, Ganiyu used his position at USCIS to approve immigration applications in exchange for cash. He and his accomplice, identified as Somoye, accepted approximately $960,000 in total payments. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas announced the charges on or around September 7, 2026.
Prosecutors allege Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory review, jurisdictional limitations, criminal background checks, and standard USCIS processing protocols to approve applications for individuals not eligible under federal law. By removing those safeguards, Ganiyu eliminated the screening mechanisms designed to flag criminal records, immigration fraud, and national security concerns. The scheme ran for more than six years. An undetermined number of ineligible applicants now hold green cards or citizenship obtained through this scheme.
Immigration background checks are among the primary tools the federal government uses to screen foreign nationals for criminal history, terrorism connections, and other disqualifying factors. When a USCIS adjudicator bypasses those checks, applicants with unknown backgrounds obtain lawful status, including in some cases a path to voting eligibility and access to government benefits and sensitive employment. The government has not stated publicly how many applications Ganiyu approved under this scheme or whether any of those applicants are now subjects of national security investigations.
Ganiyu and Somoye each face up to five years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The Department of Justice has not announced whether additional USCIS employees were involved or whether the investigation identified intermediaries who coordinated the bribe payments. Ganiyu's adjudication work may have extended across multiple jurisdictions, which could expand the investigative scope beyond the Northern District of Texas.
SOURCES
