A federal grand jury from the Western District of Louisiana has returned an indictment against five men in Louisiana. Two police chiefs, a city marshal, a business owner, and a former police chief are all accused of exploiting the U.S. immigration system for their own profit.
The prosecutors allege that by filing false police reports, these men were able to fraudulently produce hundreds of U-Visas, special non-immigrant visas reserved for victims or witnesses of serious crimes who assist law enforcement.
Acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook announced these charges are being leveled by the Homeland Security Task Force as part of "Operation Take Back America."
The 62-count indictment released on Wednesday includes allegations of conspiracy, bribery, mail fraud, immigration fraud, visa fraud, and money laundering. The alleged conspiracy lasted for nearly a decade, from December 2015 to July 2025, according to the 21-page indictment.
"This was a very complex investigation," said Van Hook. "It involved some very sophisticated law enforcement techniques. It was really top notch."
Businessman Chandrakant Patel is accused of orchestrating the scheme by collecting payments from illegal aliens in the United States. Patel then allegedly coordinated with law enforcement officers across multiple jurisdictions in Louisiana to file fake police reports and obtain fraudulent U-Visas.
These false reports, signed by law enforcement officers, allowed foreign nationals to remain in the United States illegally. The indictment details how Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, City Marshal Michael Slaney, Forest Hill Police Chief Chad Dixon, and former Glenmora Police Chief Tibo Onishea each filed false police reports that supported U-Visa applications.
"The FBI and the majority of our law enforcement community are privileged to work on behalf of true criminals victims every day," said FBI Special Agent Jonathan Tapp. "But in this case, people paid thousands of dollars to manufacture that status to get a shortcut to the privilege of staying in our great nation."
Patel allegedly paid law enforcement officers $5,000 per fake report in exchange for official documentation falsely claiming these foreign nationals were victims of a crime. Acting U.S. Attorney Van Hook says hundreds of U-Visas were obtained based on armed robberies, assaults, and other serious crimes that never occurred.
"There was an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana,” said Van Hook. “In fact, the armed robberies never took place."
The allegedly false police reports were detailed, including fabricated case numbers, fake narratives, and staged details about threats and weapons. The charges also note that the defendants laundered the money they earned through the U-Visa scam by purchasing material goods, real estate, and vehicles.
"I do want to assure the public that we believe they can have confidence in the remaining law enforcement communities and the enforcement agencies in their communities," said Van Hook. "We brought these allegations against who we believe to be corrupt officials; we are not alleging that these are corrupt police departments."
In 2021, the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services warned that the U-visa program was susceptible to fraud after an audit by the Office of Inspector General found unaddressed deficiencies in their process, according to KALB-TV in Louisiana.
"We expect law enforcement officers to protect the public and to honor their trust, not to sell that trust and the honor of their badges for personal gain," said FBI Special Agent Jonathan Tapp. "The FBI will continue to work diligently to uncover the actions of those who undermine the public's trust in the good work being done every day by the brave men and women of law enforcement."
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