Nigerians Ganiyu, Somoye arrested over scheme to sell green cards, citizenship for cash

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Two Nigerians, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, a former senior immigration services officer with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, have been arrested in the United States over an alleged scheme to receive illegal payments in exchange for manipulating and expediting immigration applications.

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United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, Ryan Raybould, announced the arrests, saying the two men were allegedly involved in a multi-year scheme to receive illegal gratuities from immigration applicants.

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A federal criminal complaint filed on August 31 charged Ganiyu and Somoye with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official.

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Federal agents arrested both men on September 2.

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“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould.

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“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.”

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According to the complaint, Ganiyu allegedly exploited his official position between December 2019 and March 2026 to approve various immigration applications in exchange for money.

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The applications included Form I-130, Petition for Alien Relative; Form I-485, Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status; Form I-751, Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence; and Form N-400, Application for Naturalization.

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Investigators alleged that Ganiyu bypassed several mandatory immigration procedures to unlawfully expedite applications.

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These allegedly included required interviews, supervisory reviews, jurisdictional restrictions, background checks and other standard USCIS processing protocols.

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The complaint further alleged that some of the applicants whose cases were expedited were not eligible for the immigration benefits they received under federal law.

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Ganiyu and Somoye are also accused of collecting hundreds of thousands of dollars from applicants, with investigators identifying several payments that allegedly corresponded directly with immigration approvals issued by Ganiyu.

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Investigators reportedly uncovered extensive WhatsApp communications between Ganiyu, Somoye and numerous applicants whose immigration cases they handled.

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The communications allegedly included thousands of messages and hundreds of telephone calls exchanged during the period covered by the investigation.

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R. Joseph Rothrock, FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge, said the alleged conduct undermined the integrity of the US immigration system.

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“The alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process essential to our national security,” Rothrock said.

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“The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses their position of trust.”

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Ganiyu and Somoye made their initial court appearances on September 2 before a U.S. Magistrate Judge.

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

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The case was investigated by the USCIS Office of Investigations, the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General and the FBI Dallas Field Office.

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Assistant U.S. Attorney Chad Meacham of the Fraud Section is prosecuting the case.

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The allegations contained in the complaint are accusations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

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