Louisiana police chiefs, business owner indicted in visa fraud plot

(NewsNation) — Five people in Louisiana, including three police chiefs and a local "business leader," worked together to falsify police reports and commit immigration fraud, according to a 62-count indictment from the Western District of Louisiana’s U.S. Attorney’s Office.

The following are accused of conspiracy, immigration fraud, robbery, mail fraud and money laundering offenses:

• Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle
• Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon
• Former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea
• Oakdale Ward 5 Marshal Mike "Freck" Slaney
• Chandrakant Patel, aka "Lala"

Alexander Van Hook, the district's acting U.S. attorney, laid out the Justice Department's allegations at a news conference Wednesday.

From 2015 to July of this year, immigrants wanting to stay in the United States allegedly paid Patel, who then paid police chiefs, to create fake incident reports, Van Hook said.

The indictment alleges that from approximately Sept. 27, 2023 until Dec. 26, 2024, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onishea knowingly submitted false statements by signing forms stating that individuals were cooperating victims of crimes, which the defendants knew to be false.

A faux report — which had a price tag of $5,000 in at least one instance, according to the indictment — would allow immigrants and their families to stay in the U.S. under what is known as "U nonimmigrant status" or "U-Visa."

The status is “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse” and can help law enforcement's investigation of the crime, according to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.

To obtain a visa, police reports are required to establish certainty that someone was a victim or witness of a crime, Van Hook said.

The indictment alleges that from approximately Sept. 27, 2023 until Dec. 26, 2024, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onishea knowingly submitted false statements by signing forms stating that individuals were cooperating victims of crimes, which the defendants knew to be false.

“There was an unusual concentration of armed robberies, a large number of armed robberies, of people that were not from Louisiana … well, in fact, the armed robberies never took place,” Van Hook said.

If convicted, the defendants would face up to five years in prison for conspiracy, 10 years for visa fraud and 20 years for mail fraud. Each could also owe a fine of up to $250,000 per count.

NewsNation affiliate KLFY contributed to this report.