Louisiana police chiefs charged in immigrant visa fraud scheme
Federal prosecutors have indicted five people in Louisiana, including three current and former police chiefs, in an alleged scheme to file bogus police reports that enabled immigrants to apply for special visas in exchange for thousands of dollars.
According to the 62-count indictment, the defendants falsified police reports, which listed immigrants as victims of fabricated crimes so they could apply for U-visas.
The U nonimmigrant status, or U-visa, allows people who have been the victims of crimes to obtain temporary legal status in the U.S. The visa is “set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.”
All five defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and mail fraud. Some also face charges of money laundering, visa fraud and bribery, according to court documents.
In the indictment, federal prosecutors allege that between December 2015 and earlier this week the defendants conspired with each other to authenticate “false police reports in several central Louisiana parishes.”
The reports, the indictment states, “listed several victims of purported armed robberies in the central Louisiana area.” The bogus reports were produced “so that the purported victims of the robberies could apply for U-Visas.”
One of the defendants, a Louisiana businessman, worked as an intermediary between immigrants seeking U-Visas and his four law enforcement partners in the scheme, according to the indictment.
For each purported victim named on these police reports, prosecutors allege the businessman would pay his accused co-conspirators $5,000.
The businessman attained a U-Visa himself in 2023 “based on his alleged status as a victim of armed robbery,” according to the indictment.
If convicted, the defendants face years or decades in prison, as well as substantial fines.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said additional state charges were likely.
“We are now reviewing the evidence and expect additional state charges will follow,” she wrote in a statement on Facebook.
“Public officials – especially those in law enforcement – who conspire to commit fraud and obstruct justice violate the public trust and undermine faith in justice. They will be held accountable.”
An escalation in Yemen threatens to reignite civil war and widen tensions in the Gulf
Saudi Arabia bombed Yemen's port city of Mukalla, targeting a shipment of weapons from the United Arab Emirates for separatist forces. The UAE later said it would withdraw its forces from Yemen.
Cecilia Giménez, the artist who ‘restored’ the face of Jesus, has died at 94
Giménez international attention after she attempted to restore an old fresco. While it was immediately ridiculed at the time, the piece eventually turned into a tourist attraction.
What being around death taught this hospital chaplain about life
J.S. Park helps patients and their families cope with death every day as a hospital chaplain. He explains what to expect as a person is dying, and how to reckon with uncomfortable feelings about death.
Israel says it will bar aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders, from Gaza
Israel accused Doctors Without Borders, one of the largest health organizations operating in Gaza, of failing to clarify the roles of some staff that Israel accused of cooperation with militants.
China flexes blockade capabilities near Taiwan on second day of military drills
China's People's Liberation Army is staging a second day of large-scale military drills around Taiwan. It's unleashing live-fire exercises as part of what it calls "Justice Mission 2025."
Policy relief for family caregivers seems stalled out. But there are signs of change
Family members carry the burden and costs of caring for America's aging population. Federal policy change is slow to come but a new movement and state actions are building momentum.
