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New York Post
7 days ago
- New York Post
Feds charge 3 Louisiana police chiefs in elaborate decade-long visa fraud scheme
Federal authorities have charged three current or former Louisiana police chiefs with taking bribes in exchange for filing false police reports that would allow noncitizens to seek a visa that allows certain crime victims to stay in the U.S. The false police reports would indicate that the immigrant was a victim of a crime that would qualify them to apply for a so-called U-visa, U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said Wednesday at a news conference in Lafayette. He said the police officials were paid $5,000 for each name they provided falsified reports for, and that there were hundreds of names. There had been 'an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana,' Van Hook said, noting that two other people were also charged in the alleged scheme. 4 U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook announcing charges against current and former police officers at a news conference in Lafayette, Louisiana. AP 'In fact, the armed robberies never took place,' he said. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Shreveport returned a 62 count indictment charging the five defendants with crimes including conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, bribery, mail fraud and money laundering, Van Hook said. Those charged are Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea, Michael 'Freck' Slaney, a marshal in Oakdale, and Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel, an Oakdale businessman. If convicted, the defendants could face years or even decades of jail time. According to investigators, people seeking special visas would reach out to Patel, who would contact the lawmen and offer them a payment in exchange for falsified police reports that named the migrants as victims of armed robberies that never occurred. 4 Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel, an Oakdale businessman who would contact the lawmen and offer payment in exchange for falsified reports that named the migrants as victims of armed robberies that never happened. Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office 4 Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle is one of the named defendants. Oakdale City Police Department The scheme went on for nearly a decade, Van Hook said. Getting a U-visa can give some crime victims and their families a pathway to U.S. citizenship. About 10,000 people got them in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2022, which was the most recent period for which the Homeland Security Department has published data. These special visas, which were created by Congress in 2000, are specifically for victims of certain crimes 'who have suffered mental or physical abuse' and are 'helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,' based on a description of the program published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. 4 Michael 'Freck' Slaney, a marshal in Oakdale, was also charged. Facebook / Allen Council On Aging 'These visas are designed to help law enforcement and prosecutors prosecute crimes where you need the victim or the witness there, ' Van Hook said. 'U-visas serve a valuable purpose, and this is a case where they were abused.' When asked about the extent of the fraud, Van Hook said there 'hundreds of names' —- specifically for visas that were approved. Previous 1 of 7 Next Advertisement Court documents Court documents Advertisement Court documents Court documents Court documents Advertisement At least two of the police chiefs had been arrested as of the Wednesday morning news conference, authorities said. Lester Duhé, a spokesperson for the Louisiana attorney general's office, said that office was assisting federal agents with 'court-authorized activities' when asked about its role in the case. The current or former police chiefs are from small central Louisiana municipalities that are near each other. They're in a part of the state that is home to multiple immigration detention facilities. Although Louisiana doesn't share a border with a foreign country, there are nine ICE detention facilities in the state — holding nearly 7,000 people. Local news outlets reported seeing ICE and FBI agents entering the homes of two of the chiefs. Van Hook said authorities searched multiple police departments and a Subway sandwich shop that Patel operated. Van Hook and others said at the news conference that the arrests do not mean the indicted chiefs' departments are corrupt. In 2021, the USCIS warned that the U-visa program was susceptible to fraud after an audit from the Office of Inspector General found that administrators hadn't addressed deficiencies in their process. The audit found that USCIS approved a handful of suspicious law enforcement signatures that were not cross-referenced with a database of authorized signatures, according to the OIG report. They were also not closely tracking fraud case outcomes, the total number of U-visas granted per year, and were not effectively managing the backlog, which led to crime victims waiting for nearly 10 years before receiving a U-visa.
NBC News
7 days ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Three current and former Louisiana police chiefs are federally charged in alleged visa fraud scheme
Three current and former Louisiana police chiefs, a U.S. marshal and a businessman have been federally charged with participating in an immigrant visa fraud scheme, prosecutors announced Wednesday. A federal grand jury in Shreveport returned a 62-count indictment against the five people on July 2, Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook for the Western District of Louisiana said in a news conference Wednesday. The police chiefs took bribes in exchange for filing false police reports that would allow noncitizens to seek a visa that lets certain crime victims stay in the U.S., Van Hook said. The five defendants are: Chad Doyle, the chief of police in Oakdale; Michael Slaney, a marshal from the Ward 5 Marshal's office in Oakdale; Glynn Dixon, the chief of police in Forest Hill; Tebo Onishea, the former chief of police in Glenmora; and Chandrakant Patel, a businessman from Oakdale. They were each charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and other charges, prosecutors said in a news release. Patel was further charged with one count of bribery, 24 counts of mail fraud and eight counts of money laundering. Doyle and Dixon were further charged with six counts of visa fraud, six counts of mail fraud and one count of money laundering. Slaney was also charged with six counts of visa fraud, six counts of mail fraud, and two counts of money laundering. Onishea was additionally charged with six counts of visa fraud and six counts of mail fraud. For a decade, from December 2015 to at least this month, prosecutors alleged Patel was a fixer who unlawfully procured nonimmigrant U-visas with the help of law enforcement officials. The U nonimmigrant status visa is for victims of certain crimes who help law enforcement or government officials investigate those crimes. Part of the application process includes a signature of an authorized official or law enforcement agency confirming the individual was the victim of a qualifying crime, prosecutors said. Individuals seeking U-visas would contact Patel to be named as 'victims' in police reports of an armed robbery, so they could submit applications for U-visas, the indictment alleged. Those individuals allegedly paid Patel thousands of dollars to participate in the scheme, and Patel would ask alleged co-conspirators Doyle, Slaney, Dixon and Onishea to write false police reports naming the individuals as victims of armed robberies, and provide certification and supporting documents, prosecutors said. Together they 'authored, facilitated, produced and authenticated false police reports' in several central Louisiana parishes, the news release said. "There was an unusual concentration of armed robberies, a large number of armed robberies of people that were not from Louisiana," Van Hook said. "Well, in fact, the armed robberies never took place, and those listed in the applications were never victims." Patel allegedly offered to pay an agent of the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office $5,000 on Feb. 18, 'intending to influence and reward said agent in exchange for a fraudulent police report,' prosecutors said. Van Hook said Patel allegedly paid the law enforcement officers $5,000 for each foreign national placed on police reports, and that were hundreds of such reports. From Sept. 27, 2023 to Dec. 26, 2024, Doyle Slaney, Dixon and Onishea allegedly submitted false statements in immigration applications by signing I-918B forms despite knowing the individuals were never victims of crimes. The investigation opened following a tip last July from Citizenship and Immigration Services, and was investigated by Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI and IRS, along with the U.S. Attorney's Office. Van Hook said the men were arrested Tuesday by federal law enforcement agents and search warrants were executed at multiple locations including the Oakdale and Forest Hill police departments and a Subway sandwich shop in Oakdale operated by Patel. Officials said Wednesday all were released except Patel. No attorneys were listed for the defendants in the online court docket. NBC News has reached out to the five men for comment. The mail fraud charge stems from the five men sending out documents by the U.S. Postal Service. If convicted the defendants each face up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge, up to 10 years on the visa fraud charge, up to 20 years on the mail fraud charge, and Patel up to 10 years the bribery charge. They also could be ordered to pay a fine of $250,000 on each count.
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.
San Francisco Chronicle
16-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Feds charge 3 current or former Louisiana police chiefs in an alleged visa fraud scheme
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Federal authorities said Wednesday that they charged three current or former Louisiana police chiefs with taking hundreds of bribes in exchange for filing false police reports that would allow noncitizens to seek a visa that allows certain crime victims to stay in the U.S. The false police reports would indicate that the immigrant was a victim of a crime that would qualify them to apply for a so-called U-visa, U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said at a news conference in Lafayette. He said the police officials were paid $5,000 for each name they provided falsified reports for, and that there were hundreds of names. There had been 'an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana," Van Hook said, noting that two other people were also charged in the alleged scheme. 'In fact, the armed robberies never took place,' he said. Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Shreveport returned a 62 count indictment charging the five defendants with crimes including conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, bribery, mail fraud and money laundering, Van Hook said. Those charged are Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea, Michael 'Freck' Slaney, a marshal in Oakdale, and Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel, an Oakdale businessman. Getting a U-visa can give some crime victims and their families a pathway to U.S. citizenship. About 10,000 people got them in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2022, which was the most recent period for which the Homeland Security Department has published data. These special visas are specifically for victims of certain crimes 'who have suffered mental or physical abuse' and are 'helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,' based on a description of the program published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. At least two of the police chiefs had been arrested as of the Wednesday morning news conference, authorities said. Lester Duhé, a spokesperson for the Louisiana attorney general's office, said that office was assisting federal agents with 'court-authorized activities" when asked about its role in the case. The current or former police chiefs are from small central Louisiana municipalities that are near each other. They're in a part of the state that is home to multiple immigration detention facilities. Although Louisiana doesn't share a border with a foreign country, there are nine ICE detention facilities in the state — holding nearly 7,000 people. In 2021, the USCIS warned that the U-visa program was susceptible to fraud after an audit from the Office of Inspector General found that administrators hadn't addressed deficiencies in their process. The audit found that USCIS approved a handful of suspicious law enforcement signatures that were not cross-referenced with a database of authorized signatures, according to the OIG report. They were also not closely tracking fraud case outcomes, the total number of U-visas granted per year, and were not effectively managing the backlog, which led to crime victims waiting for nearly 10 years before receiving a U-visa. ___
Winnipeg Free Press
16-07-2025
- Politics
- Winnipeg Free Press
Feds charge 5 in Louisiana, including current and ex-police chiefs, over alleged visa fraud scheme
BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Three current or former Louisiana police chiefs were arrested following a federal investigation into an alleged scheme that involved false police reports being sold to immigrants lacking permanent legal status and used to try to secure a visa, authorities said Tuesday. The forged police reports would indicate that the immigrant was a victim of a crime, U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said at a news conference. 'We've brought these allegations against who we allege are corrupt officials, and we are not alleging that these are corrupt police departments,' Van Hook said, who said a total of five people have been arrested as part of the investigation, including the current or former police chiefs. Some crime victims, and their families, may be eligible for temporary visas – and, in some cases, a path to citizenship. About 10,000 people got these 'U-visas' in the 12-month period ended Sept. 30, 2022, the latest period for which the Homeland Security Department has published data. These special visas are specifically for victims of certain crimes 'who have suffered mental or physical abuse' and are 'helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,' based on a description of the program published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Lester Duhé, a spokesperson for the Louisiana attorney general's office, said that office was assisting federal agents with 'court-authorized activities' when asked about its role in the case. The current or former police chiefs are from small municipalities, that are near each other, in central Louisiana, which has multiple U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facilities. Although Louisiana does not share a border with a foreign country, there are nine ICE detention facilities in the state — holding nearly 7,000 people. At least two of the police chiefs were taken into custody at a police chief conference in Baton Rouge, WBRZ-TV reported. Local news outlets reported seeing ICE and FBI agents entering the homes of two of the chiefs. Additional details about the investigation, arrests and the alleged scheme were not made available. In 2021, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services warned that the U-visa program was susceptible to fraud after an audit from the Office of Inspector General found they had not addressed deficiencies in their process. The audit found the agency approved a handful of suspicious law enforcement signatures that were not cross-referenced with a database of authorized signatures, according to the OIG report. They were also not closely tracking fraud case outcomes, the total number of U-visas granted per year, and were not effectively managing the backlog, which led to crime victims waiting for nearly 10 years before receiving a U-visa. ___ Associated Press writer Valerie Gonzalez contributed to this report from McAllen, Texas.
