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.FEDS BUST ONE OF LARGEST ALLEGED MARRIAGE FRAUD SCHEMES IN US HISTORY INVOLVING 1,000-PLUS CHINESE SHAM UNIONSA former senior USCIS 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 citizenship application process.(John Moore/Getty Images)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....