U.S. Citizenship Official Was Selling Green Cards

The Department of Justice (DOJ) has announced charges against a former government employee and his alleged accomplice, who are accused of selling immigration benefits and expedited application processing.

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) praised the DOJ on September 6 for bringing charges against former USCIS Senior Immigration Services Officer Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye. These two allegedly spent years taking gratuities in return for manipulating the immigration application process.

USCIS employees are held to the highest standards of professional and ethical behavior.

There is no place in this agency for corruption, abuse of authority, or violations of public trust.

We're grateful to the @TheJusticeDept and the @NDTXnews for pursuing justice in this…
— USCIS (@USCIS) September 6, 2026

Federal agents arrested the two, who will now go to court in Texas. “Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould, whose office brought the charges. “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 DOJ explained that Somoye and Ganiyu allegedly colluded to exploit the latter’s authority from December 2019 through March of this year. Among the forms Ganiyu allegedly approved in exchange for money were were N‑400: Application for Naturalization, Forms I‑130: Petition for Alien Relative, I‑485: Application to Register Permanent Residence or Adjust Status, and I‑751: Petition to Remove Conditions on Residence.

Scandals like this help explain how so many dangerous foreign criminals end up receiving lawful permanent residence status or even citizenship.

Investigators allege that Ganiyu bypassed required interviews, supervisory review, jurisdictional limitations, background checks and standard USCIS processing protocols to unlawfully expedite approvals for applicants, many of whom were not eligible under federal law.
The complaint alleges that Ganiyu and Somoye together collected hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments from applicants, several of which correspond directly with immigration approvals issued by Ganiyu.

The DOJ says it has possession of WhatsApp communications, including hundreds of calls and thousands of text messages involving not only Somoye and Ganiyu but also individuals who were allegedly paying them to manipulate the process.

If convicted, Ganiyu and Somoye could each face up to five years in prison and a fine of $250,000. They made their first court appearances on September 2.

“The alleged manipulation of immigration decisions for personal gain undermines the integrity of a process essential to our national security,” said FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock. “The FBI and our law enforcement partners remain committed to holding accountable anyone who abuses their position of trust.”

The question is, how many other corrupt officials engaging in similar activities? A single crooked individual could be responsible for allowing hundreds of unqualified applicants into America.

Editor's Note: President Trump is fighting to renew America in this 250th birthday year.

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