Latest news with #U.S.Attorney'sOffice
an hour ago
- Politics
Louisiana police chiefs arrested in fake visa scheme targeting immigrants: DOJ
Federal authorities arrested three current and former police chiefs in Louisiana for allegedly selling fake police reports to immigrants seeking visas, officials announced Wednesday. The defendants allegedly charged $5,000 per person to create false armed robbery reports that immigrants could use to apply for special U.S. visas, according to acting U.S. attorney Alec Van Hook of Louisiana's Western District. Chandrakant "Lala" Patel of Oakdale faced the most charges, including conspiracy, bribery, 24 counts of mail fraud and eight counts of money laundering. Prosecutors identified him as the scheme's central figure. Current Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle and Ward 5 Marshal Michael "Freck" Slaney were each charged with conspiracy, six counts of visa fraud and six counts of mail fraud. Doyle faces one count of money laundering, while Slaney faces two. Former Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon faces identical charges to Doyle, while former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea was charged with conspiracy, six counts of visa fraud, and six counts of mail fraud. Oakdale officials released a statement Tuesday after the officers were arrested, saying the city "is taking this matter very seriously." "We understand the seriousness of this situation and are committed to full cooperation with the appropriate authorities. The City is taking this matter very seriously and will act in accordance with the law and in the best interest of our community," Oakdale officials said. The scheme allegedly ran from 2015 until July 2025, prosecutors said. The group allegedly created fake reports showing immigrants as victims of armed robberies that never happened, allowing them to apply for U-visas -- special visas that let crime victims stay in the United States. "There was an unusual concentration of armed robberies -- a large number of people that were not from Louisiana in some of our smaller communities," Van Hook said at a press conference in Lafayette, Louisiana, on Wednesday, adding, "In fact, the armed robberies never took place." Authorities said Patel collected money from immigrants and paid the officers $5,000 for each person listed on a false police report. The U-visa program allows both crime victims and their family members to remain in the U.S., making each false report's impact far-reaching. All five were charged with conspiracy and mail fraud. Patel, who authorities identified as the scheme's central figure, was the only one charged with bribery. Four of the law enforcement officers also face visa fraud charges, and all except Onishea face additional counts of money laundering. If found guilty, each defendant could spend decades behind bars, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Western District of Louisiana. They could each face up to 5 years for conspiracy, 10 years for visa fraud and 20 years for mail fraud. Patel faces an additional 10 years for the bribery charge. Each count also carries a possible fine of up to $250,000. Van Hook emphasized these were allegations against individual officers, not entire departments. "We are not alleging that these are corrupt police departments," he said. The investigation involved multiple agencies, including Homeland Security Investigations, the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Louisiana State Police and the Rapides Parish Sheriff's Office.
The Hill
3 hours ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Louisiana police chiefs arrested in alleged visa fraud schemes
Multiple Louisiana law enforcement officials, including two city police chiefs, have been charged following an FBI investigation into an alleged visa fraud and bribery scheme that prevented immigrants from being deported. The U.S. Attorney's Office for Louisiana's Western district said in a news release that Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Forrest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon and former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea were part of a conspiracy to get nonimmigrant 'u visas' by making false police reports about bogus violent crimes against immigrants in exchange for thousands of dollars. Also charged in the alleged scheme were Oakdale City Marshall Michael Slaney and Oakdale businessman Chandrakant 'Lala' Patel. The U nonimmigrant status prevents some immigrant victims of crimes in the U.S. from being deported. A grand jury indicted Doyle, Dixon, Slaney, Onishea and Patel this week. According to their indictments, immigrants seeking U-Visas would allegedly contact Patel, who would help them be named as 'victims' in police reports alleging armed robbery. The prosecutors allege that the immigrants paid Patel thousands of dollars to get the law enforcement officials to write false police reports and provide certification as supporting documents for their U visa applications. The officials allegedly were compensated in return. Authorities alleged that the scheme stretched as long as a decade and continued until last month. The officers face various counts of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, mail fraud and money laundering. Patel also faces a bribery charge. If convicted, each faces a sentence of up to five years in prison on each of the conspiracy charges; up to a decade on the visa fraud charges; up to 20 years on the mail fraud charges; and Patel faces up to 10 years on the additional bribery charge. They also could be fined up to $250,000 on each count. Federal authorities have moved to seize some of their personal property, including bank accounts and vehicles. President Trump's administration has focused heavily on deportations since his return to office in January. Trump and his allies also have long backed efforts to cut the U visa protections to prevent potential misuse. The investigation into the Louisiana visa case was led by Trump's new Homeland Security Task Force, created to facilitate his immigration crackdown.
Miami Herald
4 hours ago
- Miami Herald
‘I'm gonna go postal.' Mail carrier purposely hits USPS vehicle in VA, feds say
A woman working for the U.S. Postal Service 'became violent' when she lost her phone and blamed her co-workers, then purposely crashed into a USPS vehicle, totaling it in the Virginia parking lot, according to federal court filings. Lolita Brickhouse, 31, pleaded guilty on July 15 to causing more than $42,000 in damage at the USPS mail delivery facility in Falls Church, about a 5-mile drive west from Arlington, on Jan. 16, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia said in a news release. Now Brickhouse, of Falls Church, is facing up to 10 years in prison on a charge of destruction of government property exceeding $1,000 in damage, according to federal prosecutors. Her federal public defender did not immediately return McClatchy News' request for comment July 16. After Brickhouse's shift as a mail carrier ended the evening of Jan. 16, she left the USPS facility but went back to look for her cellphone, a federal agent wrote in an affidavit. When she could not find her phone with the help of her supervisor, she accused her co-workers of stealing it, the affidavit says. According to the filing, Brickhouse then knocked down a garbage can and declared to her supervisor: 'I'm gonna go postal.' The postal inspector investigating Brickhouse wrote in the affidavit that 'this phrase has been used to refer to a series of incidents where Postal workers shot and killed their supervisors, co-workers, police, and the general public.' After the comment, Brickhouse was accused of knocking off an array of items from her supervisor's desk, including an iPad, binders and keys. She also 'personally insulted her supervisors and coworkers and taunted them to call the police,' prosecutors said. Brickhouse then grabbed the keys to a USPS vehicle in the parking lot, got inside and drove into another USPS vehicle, causing it to hit a third vehicle, according to prosecutors. Following the crash, Brickhouse smashed a driver-side window with her metal water bottle, prosecutors said. In total, she caused $42,376.95 in damage to the three USPS vehicles, according to a statement of facts. Prosecutors argued that Brickhouse's actions were 'willful, intentional, knowing, and deliberate, and were not committed by mistake, accident, or other innocent reason.' Her sentencing is set for Oct. 16, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Toronto Star
9 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Former U.S. Marine Corps reservist charged in Texas immigration detention center shooting
A former U.S. Marine Corps reservist has been arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack at a Texas immigration detention center in which a police officer was shot in the neck, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, is the latest person charged in the Fourth of July assault in which attackers dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas.
11 hours ago
Former US Marine Corps reservist charged in immigration detention center shooting
A former U.S. Marine Corps reservist has been arrested and charged with attempted murder in connection with an attack at a Texas immigration detention center in which a police officer was shot in the neck, federal prosecutors said Tuesday. Benjamin Hanil Song, 32, is the latest person charged in the Fourth of July assault in which attackers dressed in black military-style clothing opened fire outside the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, southwest of Dallas, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas. Song, from Dallas, was arrested after a weeklong search and has been charged with three counts of attempted murder of federal agents and three counts of discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence, the office said in a statement. He is accused of purchasing four of the guns linked to the attack, it said. U.S. District Court records do not list names of attorneys representing Song or scheduled court appearances. U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Texas did not immediately respond to an email asking whether Song has an attorney. The officer wounded in the attack has since been released from the hospital. Ten people, most of them from the Dallas-Fort Worth area, have previously been charged with attempted murder of a federal officer and discharging a firearm in relation to a crime of violence. Another person has been charged with obstruction of justice for concealing evidence, while two others were charged with accessory after the fact for allegedly helping Song get away. If convicted, most of the defendants could face up to life imprisonment, while those charged with obstruction of justice and accessory after the fact would face lesser penalties if convicted, according to federal prosecutors. The shooting took place as President Donald Trump 's administration ramps up deportations. The attackers initially set off fireworks and spray-painted vehicles and a guard structure, including the words 'Ice Pig,' according to a criminal complaint. This was 'designed to lure correctional officers outside the facility,' according to U.S. Attorney's Office. Correctional officers called 911 and an Alvarado police officer responded and someone in the woods opened fire. Another person across the street fired 20 to 30 rounds at correctional officers who were unarmed after they walked out of the facility, according to the office's statement. After the group fled, sheriff's deputies stopped seven people about 300 yards (275 meters) from where the officer was shot, according to a criminal complaint. 'They were dressed in black, military-style clothing, some had on body armor, some were covered in mud, some were armed, and some had radios,' the complaint said. A sheriff's office detective also stopped a van leaving the area and found two AR-style rifles and a pistol, along with ballistic-style vests and a helmet, the complaint said. The driver, the only person in the van, said he had been at the detention center. He said he had met some people online and drove some of them to the detention center from Dallas to 'make some noise,' according to the complaint. Song's cellphone's location data shows it was near the detention center from about 11:30 p.m. on July 4 and throughout the day on July 5, according to a criminal complaint. 'Though Song escaped by hiding overnight after the attack, we were confident he would not remain hidden for long,' Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Nancy E. Larson said in a statement. 'The fourteen individuals who planned and participated in these heinous acts will be prosecuted, and we expect justice will be swift.'
