Charges Filed Against Louisiana Law Enforcement Officers in Visa Fraud Scheme
According to a press release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana, several current and former law enforcement officials in Louisiana have been implicated in a visa fraud scheme.
The release detailed allegations against Chad Doyle, the Oakdale Police Chief; Michael Slaney, a former Oakdale official; Grindixon, Forest Hill’s police chief; and Tebo Onysia, the former police chief of Glenmora. These individuals are said to have collaborated with Chandrakant Patel from Oakdale to carry out “visa fraud,” particularly involving non-immigrant U-Visas.
It appears that the five men, along with others, allegedly “falsely promoted, produced and certified” documents in Central Louisiana, which purportedly listed multiple victims of armed robberies. This deception allowed individuals to apply for U-Visas. The scheme involved illegal immigrants seeking U-Visas who would reach out to Patel or another facilitator.
The indictment asserts that Patel, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onysia created, promoted, and certified false police reports across various Central Louisiana parishes. Each report claimed several victims of armed robberies, enabling the individuals identified in the reports to apply for U-Visas.
The press release further explained that a person seeking a U-Visa (referred to as the “alien”) would contact Patel or someone in his network. This contact would then touch base with another facilitator, allegedly posing as a “victim,” to claim an armed robbery had taken place and to submit a U-Visa application. It was claimed that the alien paid Patel thousands of dollars, and in return, Patel would enlist his co-conspirators, including Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onysia, to draft a false police report naming the alien as a robbery victim, thereby providing certification supportive of the U-visa application.
There are also allegations that on February 18, 2025, Patel attempted to corrupt an agent of the Lapides Parish Sheriff’s Office by offering a bribe in exchange for a bogus police report.
All five men have been charged with conspiracy to commit both visa fraud and mail fraud. Patel, Doyle, Slaney, and Dixon are also facing money laundering charges. The press release noted that Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onysia have specifically been charged with visa fraud.
Earlier reports highlighted that illegal immigrants had been staging fake robberies to secure work permits, green cards, or citizenship in the U.S.
