Who are the accused?

The accused include Chandrakant Patel, Chad Doyle, Michael Slaney and Tebo Onishea, who admitted their roles, according to a document released by the Internal Revenue Service of the US government. The defendants were indicted on 2 July 2025. Glynn Dixon, Chad Doyle, Tebo Onishea and Michael Slaney each face up to five years in prison, while Patel could face up to 20 years.

At the time of the offences, Doyle was the Oakdale Chief of Police, Slaney was the Ward 5 Oakdale Marshal, Dixon was the Forest Hill Chief of Police, and Onishea was the Glenmora Chief of Police. Patel was a businessman.

On conspirators pleading guilty in court, the United States Attorney Zachary A Keller said, “These defendants’ disgraceful fraud endangered our community and undermined the public trust in the immigration system solely to line their own pockets. These guilty pleas confirm the depth of corruption uncovered here and the strength of the evidence developed during an incredible investigation by our law enforcement partners working together, and our Office looks forward to advocating for prison time for each defendant that reflects the seriousness of the crimes they committed.”

How U-Visas were misused by former police chiefs

According to court documents, the accused ran the U-Visa fraud scheme between December 2015 and July 2025 by creating fake police reports for armed robberies that never took place, confirmed by the IRS.

Prosecutors alleged that foreign nationals paid businessman Chandrakant Patel thousands of dollars to be listed as victims. Patel then worked with police officials to obtain false police reports, which were used to support fraudulent U-Visa applications.

Court records confirm that Patel tried to bribe an officer from the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office with $5,000 in February 2025 to obtain a fake report. The accused is also charged with mail fraud for sending forged documents through the US Postal Service and other carriers. US Attorney Zachary A Keller for the Western District of Louisiana made the announcement.

“HSI is committed to protecting the integrity of our immigration system and lawful immigration benefits,” said Matt Wright, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New Orleans. “When anyone, including public officials, exploits immigration relief programs or commits fraud against the government, HSI and our law enforcement partners will investigate, dismantle these schemes, and work to bring those responsible to justice.”

“Mr. Patel and his law enforcement co-conspirators corrupted the process that helps actual victims of violent crime to allow people to remain in our country under an alleged fraud.” said Special Agent in Charge Jonathan Tapp of the FBI’s New Orleans Field Office.

The investigation was carried out by the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) Fraud Detection and National Security Division.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant US Attorneys John W Nickel and Danny Siefker, with support from paralegal specialists Joanne Henry-Mills and Denise Duhon.

The investigation was conducted under the Homeland Security Task Force as part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide federal initiative involving the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security.