Latest news with #U-Visas
The Hill
16-07-2025
- Politics
- The Hill
Louisiana police chiefs arrested in alleged visa fraud schemes
Multiple Louisiana law enforcement officials, including two city police chiefs, have been charged following an FBI investigation into an alleged visa fraud and bribery scheme that prevented immigrants from being deported. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Louisiana's Western district said in a news release that Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Forrest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon and former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea were part of a conspiracy to get nonimmigrant 'u visas' by making false police reports about bogus violent crimes against immigrants in exchange for thousands of dollars. Also charged in the alleged scheme were Oakdale City Marshall Michael Slaney and Oakdale businessman Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel. The U nonimmigrant status prevents some immigrant victims of crimes in the U.S. from being deported. A grand jury indicted Doyle, Dixon, Slaney, Onishea and Patel this week. According to their indictments, immigrants seeking U-Visas would allegedly contact Patel, who would help them be named as 'victims' in police reports alleging armed robbery. The prosecutors allege that the immigrants paid Patel thousands of dollars to get the law enforcement officials to write false police reports and provide certification as supporting documents for their U visa applications. The officials allegedly were compensated in return. Authorities alleged that the scheme stretched as long as a decade and continued until last month. The officers face various counts of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Patel also faces a bribery charge. If convicted, each faces a sentence of up to five years in prison on each of the conspiracy charges; up to a decade on the visa fraud charges; up to 20 years on the mail fraud charges; and Patel faces up to 10 years on the additional bribery charge. They also could be fined up to $250,000 on each count. Federal authorities have moved to seize some of their personal property, including bank accounts and vehicles. President Trump's administration has focused heavily on deportations since his return to office in January. Trump and his allies also have long backed efforts to cut the U visa protections to prevent potential misuse. The investigation into the Louisiana visa case was led by Trump's new Homeland Security Task Force, created to facilitate his immigration crackdown.
American Press
16-07-2025
- American Press
UPDATE: Oakdale police chief, marshal accused of exploiting immigration system for personal profit
Federal prosecutors have unsealed an indictment against several current and former law enforcement officers, including Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle and Oakdale City Marshal Michael 'Freck' Slaney. These two are among five individuals accused in a year-long investigation into exploiting the U.S. immigration system for personal profit, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook. The investigation is part of 'Operation Take Back America. Also indicted are Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, former Glenmora police chief Tebo Onishea, and Oakdale businessman and Subway restaurant owner Chandrakant Patel. Patel was booked into a Rapides Parish correctional facility, while all others were released. During a press conference Wednesday, Van Hook emphasized that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The 21-page indictment includes 62 counts against the five individuals, with allegations of immigration fraud, visa fraud, mail fraud, bribery and. money laundering. According to the U.S. Attorney General's Office, the individuals allegedly used profits from this scheme to purchase vehicles, real estate and other luxury items. Those assets are subject to seizure, Van Hook said. The U.S. Attorney General's Office, Homeland Security Task Force, Federal Bureau of Investigations and Internal Revenue Service began investigating the alleged conspiracy to fraudulently obtain hundreds of U-Visas last July, after receiving a tip from another law enforcement officer. The investigation concluded on Tuesday with several arrests and search warrants being executed by multiple law enforcement agencies in Allen and Rapides parishes.
Yahoo
29-03-2025
- Yahoo
San Jose police officers cleared in fatal shooting
(KRON) — The Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office concluded that a group of San Jose Police Department officers lawfully shot and killed a man last year who was armed with a gun. Roberto Rivera, Jr., 50, was intoxicated and suicidal when he walked into Catracho taqueria on Senter Road, waived a gun around, and made threatening statements on Sept. 8, 2024, investigators with the DA's Office wrote in a report released on Friday. Rivera told people in a taqueria, 'Everyone here is about to get U-Visas,' an immigration status that is given to some violent crime victims, prosecutors said. A surveillance camera's video shows Rivera firing bullets into the ceiling. After he left the restaurant, Rivera walked up to a random man who was sitting in a nearby truck and shot him in the neck, the DA's report says. Soon after, the gunman was stopped outside a 7-Eleven store by six SJPD police officers. 'For the next 20 seconds, officers pleaded with Rivera to surrender,' the report states. Rivera shouted to the officers, 'Shoot me!' according to prosecutors. The report states, '(Rivera) began a countdown and slowly lowered his gun and pointed it directly at officers positioned behind a car to his right. At that moment, officers Cesar Fernandez, Jessie Gifford, Juan-Carlos Jerez, and Brett Vranich, believed he intended to shoot and kill their fellow officers, and they discharged multiple rounds from their department-issued firearms, killing Rivera.' Prosecutor Rob Baker concluded that Rivera's refusal to drop his gun, and deliberate motion pointing his firearm in the direction of officers, made clear his intent was to commit 'suicide by cop. Officers …. had no other choice but to employ lethal force in defense of their fellow officers.' 'After Rivera Jr. was down, police sent a K9 dog to pull him away from his nearby weapon. The dog latched on to Rivera Jr.'s throat twice. However, the medical examiner deemed it was the police bullets and not the injuries caused by the K9 that killed the suspect,' the report states. Robert-rivera-jrDownload A toxicology analysis revealed that Rivera had methamphetamine in his system, and his blood alcohol level was 0.18%, according to the report. The District Attorney's Office is tasked with deciding if lethal force used by county law enforcement is legal. Officers may by law use lethal force if they or someone else is in imminent danger. Fernandez, Gifford, Jerez, and Vranich were cleared of any criminal wrong-doing. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
