
Feds charge 3 Louisiana police chiefs in elaborate decade-long visa fraud scheme
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.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
Victor Wembanyama may want the NBA to distance itself from Karl Malone
San Antonio Spurs star Victor Wembanyama made a very noteworthy decision on social media Friday afternoon and it could make waves around the NBA. Wembanyama, who is currently recovering from a blood clot that sidelined him for the second half of last season, was recently cleared to return from his injury. He caught some attention based on some of his social media activity this week. The NBA made a post wishing a happy birthday to former NBA star Karl Malone. Here is what we wrote in 2023 regarding allegations that Malone impregnated his 13-year-old neighbor when he was 20: Blood tests showed a 99.3 percent probability Malone was the father of Demetress Bell, per AP. The family could have filed criminal charges against Malone for impregnating a minor because, in Louisiana, an individual could not consent to sex until the age of 17. While statutory rape could have carried a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, Malone was a 'neighborhood kid', so they didn't press charges. His actions are absolutely heinous and should make it hard for the NBA to look themselves in the mirror after honoring this man two years in a row. But the story doesn't stop there for Malone and his awful shortcomings. When the child's grandparents filed a lawsuit in 1985 requesting $200 a week to help their daughter raise their son, Malone did not respond, despite his career earnings topping $104 million. He was ordered to pay $125 per week in child support, but he appealed, eventually reaching a settlement that did not require him to acknowledge that he was the father. It seems more than possible that Wembanyama is aware of the history surrounding Malone. More: The NBA should be ashamed for honoring Karl Malone during All-Star Weekend He reposted DJ J. Strand reacting to the birthday wishes with a meme video of content creator Lil Rodney Son saying "Oh no, see, that's what we not about to do." Also in the video responding to the post about Malone, Lil Rodney Son is on camera saying someone belongs "under the jail" for their actions. To be fair, we don't know exactly why Wembanyama chose to repost this. Remember: Reposts do not equal endorsements (which is now officially the case, as decided by a judge) so unless Wembanyama directly says something about the matter, we do not know his feelings. But many, including Complex, are speculating that Wemby would like the league to distance itself from Malone. Even this, though, is more than most (if not all) prominent basketball players have said about this difficult topic. So perhaps just the speculation that the rising star wants no part of Malone is enough for the NBA to listen.


CNN
5 hours ago
- CNN
Pastor and father of 3 arrested in Maryland for overstaying visa a quarter-century ago
A Maryland pastor who fled Honduras 24 years ago to escape poverty and violence is waiting to hear when he will face an immigration judge after his arrest this week by Immigration and Customs Enforcement for overstaying his visa in 2001, his family said. Daniel Fuentes Espinal, a 54-year-old father of three, is expected to request bond during his initial hearing at the Louisiana immigration facility to which he was transferred. His family – especially his wife, whom he has been with since they were teenagers – hopes for his release but is struggling with his absence. 'We've been on top of her for her to eat, sleep, but when she's about to eat, she just says, 'I just don't know if your dad ate already,'' his daughter, Clarissa Fuentes Diaz said, crying. The pastor's arrest is the one of the latest in the Trump administration's barrage of immigration cases, targeting not only undocumented migrants but also people living in the United States legally on student visas and green cards. Fuentes Espinal picked up a breakfast burrito from McDonald's when he noticed an unmarked vehicle following him, his daughter told CNN. As he made his way back to a construction site with materials he purchased at a nearby Lowe's, Fuentes Espinal was pulled over by a uniformed officer and detained. ICE confirmed Fuentes Espinal's arrest in a statement to CNN. 'Daniel Omar Fuentes Espinal is an illegal alien from Honduras who was arrested by ICE on July 21, in Easton, Maryland,' the statement said. 'Fuentes entered the United States on a 6-month visa and never left in 24 years. It is a federal crime to overstay the authorized period of time granted under a visitors visa.' CNN has asked ICE for more details on Fuentes Espinal's arrest and overstayed visa. Fuentes Espinal was given no explanation for why he was stopped and was only asked for identification before being detained, his daughter said. 'My dad was just confused the whole time, and they cuffed him, put him in the back of the car,' Fuentes Diaz said. 'We don't know everything that people go through, but my dad said he had a different experience than what he's seen on TV. They were nice to him. They put him in the car, and they drove off.' However, conditions in the immigration detention facility in Hyattsville, Maryland, were worse, Fuentes Diaz told CNN on Friday morning. 'They were treating them worse than dogs,' she said. Fuentes Espinal immigrated to the US in 2001 with his wife and infant daughter and has since been living in the country on his expired visa, Fuentes Diaz said. Online court records in Maryland indicate that Fuentes Espinal has no criminal history. His daughter also confirmed he has no criminal record. The pastor was held for one day in an office in Salisbury, Maryland, before he was moved to a holding room at the Baltimore ICE Field Office, where he slept on a bench without a bed, his daughter said. He was transferred to the Winn Correctional Center in Winnfield, Louisiana, on Thursday, his daughter said. Fuentes Espinal has gotten a lawyer, but the change of location forced two scheduled immigration hearings Friday to be cancelled, she said. The attorney representing him was trying to determine Friday morning when Fuentes Espinal would next appear in front of a judge. Fuentes Espinal works in construction to support his family and has spent the last 15 years as a volunteer pastor at Iglesia del Nazareno Jesus Te Ama, also known as the Church of the Nazarene Jesus Loves You, where he is known for his sermons and generosity. 'Pastor Fuentes Espinal is a beloved pillar of the Easton community known across town for providing shelter to those who need a place to sleep, for opening up his home and providing food and clothing to those who are at the most vulnerable point in their lives, and he never expects anything in return,' Len Foxwell, a close friend, told CNN. More than $20,000 has been donated to a GoFundMe launched by Foxwell to raise money for Fuentes Espinal's legal expenses and to help cover the basic needs of his family until his return. Originally from Santa Rita in Yoro, Honduras, Fuentes Espinal immigrated to the US to flee the widespread poverty and violence that gripped his hometown, his daughter told CNN. He sought a safer and more stable future for his family. 'It's not safe, you're scared walking around town, just looking behind your shoulder, violence, gangs, corruption, it's not an ideal place to raise a family, not ideal to work' Fuentes Diaz said. 'There's no jobs that pay enough to … make a living,' she said. 'He's my hero. He has done so much for me, as his daughter, he sacrificed so much for me to have a better future,' she added. Several Democratic lawmakers have called for Fuentes Espinal's release. In a letter condemning his arrest, Maryland Reps. Sarah Elfreth and Glenn Ivey called Fuentes Espinal 'a beloved pillar' of Easton and accused the Trump administration of 'indiscriminately profiling and targeting individuals based on their skin color.' 'Through his church ministry, Pastor Espinal has dedicated his life to improving the lives of some of his community's most vulnerable members,' the lawmakers wrote. 'His arrest and detention by ICE does nothing to further your stated goals of making America safer.' Sen. Chris Van Hollen of Maryland said Trump administration is not targeting immigrants who are considered dangerous criminals. 'They are snatching up anyone they can find as they pursue their mass deportation agenda and terrorizing our communities in the process,' Van Hollen said in a statement. 'My team is engaged with Pastor Espinal's family and I will be monitoring this closely.' More than a dozen letters have been written by loved ones and community members, including Foxwell, to support and advocate for his release and plan to submit them for consideration at future court proceedings. 'This is not what President Trump campaigned on, and it's not what the American people asked for. He campaigned on securing the southern border, on ridding our nation of some of its most violent criminals and curtailing gang activity. None of those things have any applicability here,' Foxwell said. 'This is a this is a family man, a man of faith, a small businessman who was literally just going to work to put in a full day's work to feed his family.' CNN's Andy Rose contributed to this report.


Hamilton Spectator
5 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Disgraced former US Rep. George Santos reports to NJ federal prison to serve 7-year fraud sentence
NEW YORK (AP) — Disgraced former U.S. Rep. George Santos reported to a federal prison in New Jersey on Friday to begin serving a seven-year sentence for the fraud charges that got him ousted from Congress. The federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that the New York Republican was in custody at the Federal Correctional Institution in Fairton, in southern New Jersey. Santos pleaded guilty last summer to federal wire fraud and aggravated identity theft charges for deceiving donors and stealing people's identities in order to fund his congressional campaign. Lawyers for Santos didn't respond to phone and email messages seeking comment. The ever-online Santos, who turned 37 years old on Tuesday, hosted a farewell party for himself on the social media platform X on Thursday night. 'Well, darlings … The curtain falls, the spotlight dims, and the rhinestones are packed,' he wrote in a post afterwards. 'From the halls of Congress to the chaos of cable news what a ride it's been! Was it messy? Always. Glamorous? Occasionally. Honest? I tried … most days.' Santos will serve his time in a minimum security camp at the all-male facility, which also includes a larger medium security prison, according to the Bureau of Prisons. In a Thursday interview , he didn't name the prison where he was serving in sentence, but described the camp setting as a 'big upgrade' from the medium-security lockup he was initially assigned to. Among the other notable inmates serving time at Fairton is Lamor Miller-Whitehead. The Brooklyn preacher, known for his flashy lifestyle and friendship with New York City' Mayor Eric Adams, was sentenced to nine years in prison last year for fraud . In April, a federal judge declined to give Santos a lighter two-year sentence that he sought, saying she was unconvinced he was truly remorseful. In the weeks before his sentencing, Santos said he was 'profoundly sorry' for his crimes, but he also complained frequently that he was a victim of a political witch hunt and prosecutorial overreach . Santos was elected in 2022, flipping a wealthy district representing parts of Queens and Long Island for the GOP. But he served for less than a year and became just the sixth member of the House to be ousted by colleagues after it was revealed he had fabricated much of his life story. During his winning campaign, Santos painted himself as a successful business owner who worked at prestigious Wall Street firms when, in reality, he was struggling financially. He also falsely claimed to have been a volleyball star at a college he never attended and referred to himself as 'a proud American Jew' before insisting he meant that he was 'Jew-ish' because his Brazilian mother's family had a Jewish background. The cascade of lies eventually led to congressional and criminal inquiries into how Santos funded his campaign and, ultimately, his political downfall. Since his ouster from Congress, Santos has been making a living hosting a podcast called 'Pants on Fire with George Santos' and hawking personalized video messages on Cameo. He has also been holding out hope that his unwavering support for President Donald Trump might help him win a last-minute reprieve. The White House said this week that it 'will not comment on the existence or nonexistence' of any clemency request. In media appearances this month, the former lawmaker wasn't shy about sharing his morbid fears about life behind bars. 'I'm not trying to be overdramatic here. I'm just being honest with you. I look at this as practically a death sentence,' Santos told Tucker Carlson during an interview . 'I'm not built for this.' On social media, his recent musings have sometimes taken a dark turn. 'I'm heading to prison, folks and I need you to hear this loud and clear: I'm not suicidal. I'm not depressed. I have no intentions of harming myself, and I will not willingly engage in any sexual activity while I'm in there,' Santos said on X . 'If anything comes out suggesting otherwise, consider it a lie … full stop.' ___ Follow Philip Marcelo at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .