A former senior immigration official and an alleged financial middleman are accused of exploiting the U.S. citizenship system by approving naturalization applications in exchange for nearly $960,000 in bribes, federal authorities said Friday.
Investigators say the alleged scheme came to light through WhatsApp exchanges involving former United States Citizenship and Immigration Services officer Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, his purported associate Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, and citizenship applicants seeking help with their cases.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas, the Texas-based pair allegedly routed paying applicants directly to Ganiyu, allowing them to bypass standard immigration safeguards, including criminal background checks and other required review steps.
Prosecutors allege Ganiyu manipulated USCIS systems to take control of applications and move them ahead of the normal process in return for payments.
Ganiyu also allegedly expedited Somoye’s own path to citizenship before approving residency applications for Somoye’s wife and child, authorities said.
Federal prosecutors claim Ganiyu pulled files away from USCIS field offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston, sidestepping local supervisors so he could personally approve the applications.
Between December 2019 and March 2026, Ganiyu allegedly received about $671,438 through Zelle and Cash App, along with $287,830 in cash deposits that prosecutors say were intended to conceal the source of the funds, according to court documents obtained by The Post.
Somoye, accused of serving as the operation’s money handler, recorded roughly $1.7 million in transfer activity, some of it tied to applicants using bank transfers, Zelle and Cash App, while allegedly keeping a cut of the bribes. Court documents also allege he deposited $449,010 in cash.
The illicit windfall dwarfs their meager reported incomes: Ganiyu pulled in a $67,732 annual government paycheck, while his moneyman Somoye claimed a measly $7,506 in legitimate yearly wages.
As the investigation mounted, Ganiyu was not immediately fired.
Instead, he quietly resigned from USCIS “due to personal reasons” in March 2026, just months before federal authorities moved in to arrest him.
The complaint notes that Ganiyu and Somoye frequently exchanged money “back and forth” with applicants, authorities allege.
This rapid churning of funds on digital apps inflated the total volume of money processed, leading to the $1.7 million figure.
Most of the citizenship applications they dealt with came from African countries, according to prosecutors.
“Selling immigration benefits for cash is a blatant abuse of public trust,” said US Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould in a statement on Friday.
“When a federal official puts a price tag on lawful status, we will intervene immediately.”
Ganiyu and Somoye are charged with conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official.
Their initial court appearances were held on Sept. 2. They each face up to five years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
USCIS Office of Investigations, DHS Office of Inspector General and the FBI Dallas Field Office investigated the case.
Assistant US Attorney Chad Meacham from the Fraud section is prosecuting the case.
