Louisiana Police Chiefs Indicted in Immigration Scheme
Three police chiefs in Louisiana are among five people charged with running an elaborate visa scheme, involving fake robberies, fake documents, and bribes.
Prosecutors say the group made up false police reports claiming robberies in central Louisiana parishes to get migrants the opportunity to apply for a U-visa, which allows certain victims of violent crime to stay in the United States legally.
Under arrest are Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea, Oakdale Marshal Michael Slaney, and Oakdale businessman Chandrakant “Lala” Patel.
According to court documents, migrants seeking the special visas would contact Patel. He would then contact the police chiefs and offer them payment in exchange for falsified reports that named the migrants as victims of armed robberies so they could apply for the U-visa. Payments were allegedly $5,000 to include the name of a person on a fake police report. Patel himself received a U-visa under false pretenses in 2023.
The alleged scheme started in 2015 and lasted until this year and involved hundreds of victims.
Acting U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Alexander Van Hook said the scheme unraveled when law enforcement noticed “an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana.”
The police chiefs are from small towns that are near each other in south central Louisiana. The area is home to multiple federal detention facilities.
The 62-count indictment includes charges of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, mail fraud, money laundering, and bribery.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill indicated that additional state charges are likely.
"Public officials - especially those in law enforcement - who conspire to commit fraud and obstruct justice violate the public trust and undermine faith in justice. They will be held accountable,” wrote Attorney General Murrill on Facebook.
The case was investigated by the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) as part of Operation Take Back America, a joint operation led by the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to target illegal immigration.
Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)- Fraud Detection and National Security Division are conducting the investigation.
