A federal immigration officer allegedly sold green cards and citizenship benefits for cash over a six-year period.
Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former senior officer with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, was arrested on September 2 along with an alleged co-conspirator, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye. Federal prosecutors say the two ran a pay-to-play scheme in which Ganiyu used his government position to approve immigration applications in exchange for money.
The alleged operation ran from December 2019 through March 2026, according to a criminal complaint filed in the Northern District of Texas.
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Prosecutors say Ganiyu approved applications for permanent residency, family sponsorship, removal of residency conditions, and U.S. citizenship while deliberately bypassing the safeguards built into the system. That included skipping required interviews, background checks, supervisory reviews, and jurisdictional requirements. Many of the applicants who received benefits through the scheme were not legally eligible for them, according to federal authorities.
As originally reported, investigators say the two men coordinated largely through WhatsApp while collecting large sums from immigration applicants.
The financial trail is substantial. Authorities identified roughly $287,830 in unexplained cash deposits into Ganiyu’s bank accounts. On top of that, investigators traced approximately $671,438 in payments received through Zelle, Cash App, and similar platforms. At least some of those payments were tied directly to immigration cases that Ganiyu handled.
U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould did not mince words in responding to the charges. “Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” he said. “When a federal official puts a price tag on lawful status, we will intervene immediately. Public corruption will never be tolerated in the Northern District of Texas.”
The case strikes at something fundamental. The legal immigration system depends entirely on the integrity of the people processing applications. When an officer at Ganiyu’s level can allegedly approve or expedite cases while bypassing every standard check in the process, ineligible applicants slip through and legitimate applicants are undermined. Prosecutors say that is exactly what happened here, repeatedly, for years.
Both Ganiyu and Somoye now face federal charges tied to the alleged scheme. The case is being prosecuted in the Northern District of Texas.
