Three current or former Louisiana police chiefs were among those indicted in an alleged scheme to drum up bogus crimes against immigrants so they could qualify for a special visa that allows noncitizen crime victims to remain in the US.
The top cops allegedly took “hundreds” of bribes in exchange for filing false police reports detailing made-up crimes against the immigrants, which under certain circumstances would qualify them for a U-visa, creating a pathway to citizenship.
US Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana Alexander C. Van Hook told reporters in Lafayette Wednesday that the men were paid $5,000 per name they provided a false report for, and that there were “hundreds” of names.
The five men 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, a businessman in Oakdale.
Van Hook said there had been “an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana” reported — which never actually took place.
A grand jury in Shreveport charged the men in a 62-count indictment over the alleged scheme, slapping them with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, bribery, mail fraud and money laundering charges.
Two of the ex-chiefs have been arrested as of Wednesday’s press conference, authorities said.
According to the Department of Homeland Security, around 10,000 people received U-visas between Sept. 30, 2021, and Sept. 30, 2022 — the most current data the agency makes available.
The special visas are reserved for those “who have suffered mental or physical abuse” or who are “helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,” the agency writes.
In 2021, the US Citizenship and Immigration Services warned that the U-visa program was susceptible to fraud after an Office of the Inspector General audit determined the program was being ineffectively administrated.
Louisiana is home to nine Immigration and Customs Enforcement facilities, with around 7,000 inmates in all, many awaiting deportation.
With Post wires
