According to a recent press release from the Department of Justice, a Shreveport federal grand jury has indicted three current and former Louisiana police chiefs and several local businessmen in a scheme to secure U visas fraudulently.
For context, businessman Chandrakant Patel allegedly paid officers $5,000 for fake armed robbery reports, which allowed non-citizens to secure visas. The fraud empire, uncovered by the Citizenship and Immigration Services, allegedly generated hundreds of false reports, and the perpetrators face harsh penalties, including up to 20 years in prison, for their involvement.
Reacting to the shocking case, Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook explained how the authorities were tipped off to this scheme. The attorney explained, “There was an unusual concentration of armed robberies, a large number of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana. Well, in fact, the armed robberies never took place, and those listed in the applications were never victims.”
A document release from the Department of Justice provided additional context. The press release stated, “The 62-count indictment alleges that from on or about December 26, 2015, and continuing until at least July 15, 2025, Patel, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onishea conspired together to commit Visa fraud, namely a nonimmigrant U-Visa, which defendants knew to be procured by means of false claims and statements and otherwise procured by fraud and unlawfully obtained by the defendants.”
Continuing, the DOJ described how the suspects’ scheme worked. The document explained, “Patel, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, Onishea, and others, authored, facilitated, produced and authenticated false police reports in several central Louisiana parishes. Each report listed several victims of purported armed robberies in the central Louisiana area and the defendants produced false police reports so that the purported victims of the robberies could apply for U-Visas.”
Digging into the specifics of the U Visas, the document explained, “Foreign nationals are eligible for a U-Visa… if they were a victim of qualifying criminal activity that occurred in or violated laws of the U.S.” In order for this application to be successful, it “requires signature of an authorized official of a certifying law enforcement agency confirmation that the individual was a victim of a qualifying crime…and evidence to establish each eligibility requirement.”
As reported by the docuemnt, “The indictment alleges that as part of this conspiracy to defraud, individuals seeking U-Visas (“aliens”) would contact Patel, or another facilitator who would then contact Patel, to be named as “victims” in police reports alleging that an armed robbery had occurred, so that they could submit applications for U-Visas. The indictment also alleges that aliens paid Patel thousands of dollars to participate.”
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Explaining the role of the police, the DPJ revealed, “It is also alleged in the indictment that Patel did corruptly give, offer, and agree to pay an agent of the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office the sum of $5,000 on February 18, 2025, intending to influence and reward said agent in exchange for a fraudulent police report from the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office.”
According to he press release, the DOJ explained the harsh punishments the men face for their actions. The document read, “If convicted, the defendants each face a sentence of up to 5 years in prison on the conspiracy charge; up to 10 years on the visa fraud charges; up to 20 years on the mail fraud charge; and Patel faces up to 10 years on the bribery charge. In addition, they could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.”