BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — The wife of a Louisiana police chief, who earlier this week was charged for his alleged role in a mass immigration visa fraud scheme, has also been arrested, state police said Thursday.
Alison Doyle, a former employee of the small city of Oakdale, has been charged with two counts of malfeasance in office. State police allege that Doyle conspired with local business owner Chandrakant “Lala” Patel, who authorities say was a central figure in the visa fraud operation, to “manipulate the bidding process” for two city owned properties.
It is unclear if Doyle’s alleged crime is at all related to the area’s immigration visa fraud. However, Both Doyle’s husband and Patel were among the five people arrested this week for their roles in a nearly decade-long plot that involved small-town police chiefs being paid $5,000 in exchange for filing false police reports that named hundreds of noncitizens as victims of armed robberies.
The fabricated police reports would be sold to immigrants who would use them to apply for a special visa program that can give some crime victims and their families a pathway to U.S. citizenship.
As a result of the sweeping federal investigation, Patel and Oakdale police Chief Chad Doyle were arrested, along with Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon, former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea and Michael “Freck” Slaney, a marshal in Oakdale.
Doyle and Slaney were appointed defense attorneys Thursday who did not immediately return messages from The Associated Press seeking comment. Patel told court officials he had retained counsel, but it was not clear from court records who would represent him.
When asked about the extent of the fraud on Wednesday, U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook said that there were “hundreds of names” specifically for visas that were approved.
It remains unclear what, if anything, will happen to the migrants accused of obtaining the fraudulent visas. Prosecutors have declined to say whether they might face charges, and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security said only that the agency is “committed to protecting the integrity of the immigration system from abuse and holding accountable those who exploit it.”
The special visas, dubbed a U visa, are set aside for people who are victims of certain crimes and who “are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,” based on a description of the program published by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
About 10,000 people got such visas in the 12-month period that ended Sept. 30, 2022, which was the most recent period for which the Homeland Security Department has published data.
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Mustian reported from New York.
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