A former senior official at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and an accomplice have been charged over an alleged bribery scheme in which they accepted nearly $960,000 to manipulate and fast-track immigration applications, including citizenship cases. Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu, who resigned from USCIS in March citing "personal reasons," and financial intermediary Adeniyi Akeem Somoye were arrested on federal charges after prosecutors said they ran a multi-year scheme bypassing standard vetting, including criminal background checks and interviews, for applicants who paid bribes.

Prosecutors allege the scheme ran from December 2019 to March 2026, with Ganiyu rerouting applications from USCIS offices in Minneapolis, Charlotte and Houston so he could approve them himself, and even fast-tracking citizenship for Somoye and residency for his wife and child. Ganiyu allegedly received about $671,438 via Zelle and Cash App plus $287,830 in cash deposits, while Somoye processed roughly $1.7 million in transfers and deposited $449,010 in cash. Most affected applications involved people from African countries. Both men face up to five years in prison and fines of up to $250,000.