Overview

• A federal grand jury in Shreveport returned the 62-count indictment on July 16 charging five defendants with orchestrating the scheme.
• Prosecutors allege the group filed hundreds of fake armed robbery reports between December 2015 and July 2025 so immigrants could apply for special U-visas.
• The indictment lists conspiracy to commit visa fraud, visa fraud, bribery, mail fraud and money laundering counts that carry potential decades-long prison sentences.
• All five suspects were arrested on July 15 and federal agents have begun seizing their assets, including bank accounts and vehicles.
• Investigators and prosecutors have highlighted U-visa program weaknesses flagged in a 2021 Office of Inspector General audit of signature verification and case tracking.