Louisiana's chief of police among the arrested and accused in a bribe to help foreigners get visas

A group of current or former chief of police in Louisiana and operator of a subway sandwich shop is accused of working together in a decades of program to fake police reports to help foreigners receive visas that are intended for victims or witnesses of crime.

A federal jury gave back an indictment against 62 points, in which two police chief, a former police chief, a marshal and the restaurant operator were charged with bribes, post -fraud, money laundering, conspiracy and immigration fraud, said a public prosecutor on Wednesday.

The program focused on maintaining U -Visa, enabling foreigners without official status in the United States to stay in the country under certain circumstances if they are victims of crimes or witnesses, and the US lawyer Alexander van Hook from the western district of Louisiana.

U -Visa are important to help law enforcement, to solve cases, said van Hook. However, the United States limits the number of U -Visa issued, and fraudulent applications can prevent legitimate victims or witnesses of crime.

The shop operator allegedly paid 5,000 US dollars to civil servants to create false police reports in which dozens of people are victims of crimes, said van Hook. The agreement allegedly occurred from December 2015 to July 2025, the public prosecutor said.

The defendants and fees include:

-U -Bahn -Sandwich -shop operator Chandrakant “Lala” Patelby Oakdale, Louisiana, who is charged with bribery, post -fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to inspect visa fraud

– Oakdale police chief Chad Doylewhich is charged for visa fraud, post -fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to inspect Visa fraud

– – Michael “Frosses” SlaneyA marshal in Oakdale, which is charged with visa fraud, mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to inspect visa fraud

– chief police chief Glynn Dixon by Forest Hill, Louisiana, who is charged with visa fraud, post -fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to inspect Visa fraud

– – Tebo OnisheaA former police chief of Glenmora, Louisiana, who is charged with visa fraud, post -fraud and conspiracy to inspect Visa fraud

In the case of convicted accused, the accused have up to five years in prison because of the conspiracy, up to 10 years because of Visa fraud relapses and up to 20 years under charge of mail fraud. Patel, if he is convicted of bribery, is in prison up to 10 years ago.

“In addition, they could be instructed in any case to pay a fine of up to 250,000 US dollars,” said the public prosecutor.

CNN made the accused's lawyers for a comment, although it is not immediately clear whether Patel has kept a lawyer.

Lawyers from Doyle and Slaney rejected a comment. A lawyer who represents Onishea said that his client was not guilty of the indictment and added that he was a 15-year-old veteran of the US Army.

The woman of the current police chief in Oakdale was also arrested and, for two state indictment for misconduct in office on Thursday, charged with a patient with a patient “for manipulation of the tendering process for two urban real estate”, according to a press release from the Louisiana State Police.

CNN has made the Louisiana State Police and the public prosecutor's office of Allen to obtain further information. CNN tried to turn the woman to comment and it is not clear whether she has a legal representation.

The authorities noticed “a large number of armed robberies from people who did not come from Louisiana, and in some of our smaller communities in Louisiana, and (accused) claimed that these people were victims of armed robberies,” said van Hook.

“In fact, the armed robberies never took place. And the applications listed in the applications were never victims of crime. Instead, these people pay Mr. Patel, who in turn would pay Doyle, Slaney, Dixon and Onishea to create false police reports so that fraudulent visa applications from the United States could be submitted.”

Patel himself received a U-visa in 2023 “based on his alleged status as a victim of an armed robbery,” said a 21-page indictment that was submitted this month before a federal court.

In the indictment, the first initials and last names of 24 alleged victims are also listed, all of which have the last name Patel. It was not immediately clear whether one of these foreigners is related to the U -Bahn shop operator.

Almost 200 law enforcement officers carried out 11 search commands on Tuesday, said Eric Delaune, special representative of Homeland Security, said special representative.

Two of the police officers were arrested at a conference in Baton Rouge on Tuesday, said Delaune.

Van Hook said it was possible that hundreds of Visa applicants may be involved, and the investigation is not over yet.

“This is a very, very important case. There are not two or three people. There are hundreds of names and we will deal with more because the case breaks off in court,” said the prosecutor.

“When I say that there are hundreds of names, these visas were approved.”

This story has been updated with additional information.

CNNS Caroll Alvarado, Jeremy Grisham and Devon Sayers contributed to this report.

Correction:
An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the number of counts in the indictment.