Thousands of WhatsApp messages and hundreds of phone calls helped investigators uncover an alleged bribery scheme involving a former senior U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) official, prosecutors say. Ex-USCIS official Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and his alleged financial accomplice, Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, have been charged over a scheme in which they allegedly accepted nearly $960,000 to manipulate and speed up immigration benefit applications, including citizenship cases.As per a Fox News report, the two men were arrested on federal charges of conspiracy to receive illegal gratuities by a public official, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Texas. Prosecutors allege the scheme operated from December 2019 through March 2026 and involved applicants paying money in exchange for special treatment.
How WhatsApp messages helped investigators trace alleged scam
A key part of the investigation was the pair’s digital communication with applicants. Investigators found thousands of WhatsApp messages and hundreds of calls between Ganiyu, Somoye and people whose immigration applications they handled, according to prosecutors.The communications allegedly showed repeated contact between the two men and applicants involved in the immigration cases. Prosecutors allege the pair used these contacts as part of a system in which applicants paid for their cases to be pushed through the immigration process, the report states.
Former USCIS official allegedly fast-tracked citizenship cases
According to the allegations, Ganiyu used his position at USCIS to bypass normal procedures for applicants who paid bribes. Prosecutors say some applications were moved forward without key steps such as criminal background checks, interviews, standard USCIS processing procedures and other reviews.Ganiyu allegedly changed information in the USCIS system to speed up applications. Prosecutors also allege that he moved cases from USCIS field offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston so that he could approve them himself, bypassing local supervisors.The complaint further alleges that Ganiyu fast-tracked Somoye’s citizenship application before approving residency applications for Somoye’s wife and child.
Prosecutors say nearly $960,000 was paid
Court documents cited in the report say Ganiyu received about $671,438 from citizenship applicants through Zelle and Cash App. He also allegedly received $287,830 through cash deposits that prosecutors say were intended to hide the source of the money.Somoye allegedly acted as a financial intermediary. Prosecutors say he handled about $1.7 million in transfers involving applicants through bank accounts, Zelle and Cash App, while allegedly keeping part of the money. He also allegedly deposited $449,010 in cash. The complaint says Ganiyu and Somoye frequently exchanged money “back and forth” with applicants.According to prosecutors, most of the citizenship applications handled by the pair involved applicants from African countries. The allegations cover a period of more than six years, from December 2019 until March 2026.Ganiyu resigned from USCIS in March, citing “personal reasons,” according to the report. He was arrested several months later.
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