…He Assigned Himself Cases Outside His Jurisdiction And Removed Supervisory Reviews
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A former senior officer of the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, has been accused of collecting nearly $960,000 in unexplained cash deposits and electronic payments while allegedly manipulating and expediting immigration applications.
Ganiyu and his alleged associate, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, were arrested by federal agents on September 2, 2026, following the filing of a criminal complaint before the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas on August 31.
They were charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official over an alleged scheme that operated between December 2019 and March 2026.
US authorities alleged that Ganiyu used his position as a Senior Immigration Services Officer at the Dallas Field Office of USCIS to approve permanent residency and citizenship applications in exchange for payments.
According to the criminal complaint, Ganiyu allegedly bypassed mandatory interviews, criminal background checks, supervisory reviews, jurisdictional restrictions and other established USCIS procedures while processing the applications.
The affected applications included Forms I-130 for alien relatives, I-485 for permanent residence or adjustment of status, I-751 for the removal of conditions on residence and N-400 for naturalisation.
Investigators alleged that Ganiyu sometimes assigned applications pending before other USCIS field offices to himself, removed the requirement for supervisory review and approved the cases on the same day.
In one instance, he allegedly took control of an I-130 application pending at the Minneapolis-St. Paul Field Office on November 3, 2022, despite working in Dallas, and approved it without supervisory review.
He subsequently assigned himself applications involving three children of the same applicant and approved them after allegedly removing the supervisory-review requirement.
Telephone records reportedly showed at least 20 contacts between Ganiyu and the applicant, while approximately $40,000 was allegedly deposited into his accounts in several instalments between December 2022 and August 2024.
In another case, Ganiyu allegedly assigned himself three applications involving the children of another applicant, despite the matters being outside his jurisdiction, and approved them after bypassing supervisory review.
Investigators alleged that he received approximately $37,000 from the applicant between January 2024 and December 2025, as well as $4,500 from a company connected to the individual.
Ganiyu came under investigation after his colleagues reported him to the USCIS Office of Investigations in May 2025 for allegedly processing applications outside established practice and policy.
A subsequent examination of his official email, telephone communications and financial records allegedly revealed transactions substantially exceeding his government income.
The complaint stated that Ganiyu made approximately $287,830 in cash deposits and received about $671,438 directly from individuals through Zelle, Cash App and other financial platforms.
Investigators alleged that several people who transferred funds to him had approved or pending immigration applications in the USCIS system.
Somoye, who was also an immigration applicant, allegedly paid approximately $5,500 to Ganiyu around the period his naturalisation application was approved.
Ganiyu was also accused of processing immigration applications involving Somoye’s spouse and child, which had remained pending since 2019.
Investigators reportedly identified approximately $138,392 in bank transfers from Somoye to Ganiyu and an additional $21,900 from Double A Favor LLC, a company managed by Somoye.
US authorities alleged that Somoye acted as a financial intermediary in the scheme. Approximately $1.7 million in transaction volume was linked to his accounts, although investigators noted that the repeated movement of money between parties may have increased the total transaction figure.
The investigation also uncovered thousands of WhatsApp messages and hundreds of calls allegedly exchanged among Ganiyu, Somoye and immigration applicants whose cases they handled.
Ganiyu reportedly resigned from USCIS for “personal reasons” in March 2026 while the investigation was ongoing.
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, described the alleged sale of immigration benefits as an abuse of public trust.
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock said the alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermined the integrity of a process central to national security.
The defendants made their initial appearances before a US Magistrate Judge on September 2. If convicted, each faces up to five years’ imprisonment and a fine of up to $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the FBI’s Dallas Field Office.
The allegations are contained in a criminal complaint and have not been proved. Ganiyu and Somoye are presumed innocent unless found guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Authored by Ben Ijeoma Adigwe Esq., ACIarb (UK), LL.M, Dip. in Artificial Intelligence, Director at the Delta State Ministry of Justice, Asaba, Nigeria.
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