Feds accuse Louisiana police officers, business owner of visa fraud scheme

A federal grand jury in Louisiana indicted four current and former law enforcement officers and a local business owner for a swath of charges, including conspiracy, visa fraud, and mail fraud, according to a Wednesday release from the Western District of Louisiana’s U.S. Attorney’s office. Police arrested business owner Chandrakant Patel on Tuesday, along with four current and former local law enforcement leaders in several south central Louisiana towns, acting U.S. Attorney Alexander C. Van Hook said at a Wednesday news conference, according to KALB in Alexandria, La.

Law enforcement officials included Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle, Oakdale City Marshal Michael “Freck” Slaney, Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, and former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea. A federal jury returned a 62-count indictment earlier this month, accusing Patel, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, Onishea, and others of collaborating to produce false police reports to procure fraudulent visas for noncitizens. Patel and the current law enforcement officers–Doyle, Slaney, and Dixon–also faced additional charges of money laundering, the indictment noted. Officials also accused Patel of bribery.

How can a police report help a noncitizen get a visa? Under the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act of 2000, noncitizens may receive a type of visa if they are willing to share information with police after being victims of a crime. Noncitizens must have been victims of or have knowledge about a certain type of criminal activity to qualify for a U nonimmigrant status, known as a U-Visa. Each U-Visa application required a signature from an authorized law enforcement official certifying that the applicant was a victim of a qualifying crime, along with evidence backing the victim’s eligibility.

Van Hook described Patel as the conspiracy leader, serving as a facilitator between noncitizens seeking fraudulent U-Visas and law enforcement. Patel paid law enforcement officers to falsify police reports so that noncitizens could submit U-Visa applications, specifically paying about $5,000 per noncitizen mentioned in their falsified report. Hundreds of noncitizens paid Patel thousands to be falsely named as victims in police reports of alleged armed robberies and receive certification for a U-Visa application, according to Van Hook.

Officials believe the scheme began around 2015 and operated for nearly a decade before authorities began investigating the scheme in July 2024 after receiving a tip, Van Hook said. Officials noticed an unusual concentration of armed robberies among smaller communities, specifically with a large number of non-Louisiana victims, Van Hook said Wednesday. The court allowed the four law enforcement officers to be released on bail, while Patel remained in custody as a flight risk, Van Hook added.

Defendants convicted of conspiracy may face up to five years in prison, and those convicted on visa fraud charges may face up to 10 years in prison, according to the DA’s release. Defendants convicted on the mail fraud charges may face up to 20 years in prison, and those convicted may also be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 on each count, the release added.

Van Hook emphasized that the indictment is merely an allegation and stressed that the men are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a jury at trial.