A Nigerian national has been arrested in Houston, Texas, after allegedly walking into a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) office, where authorities say he was wanted in connection with visa fraud and the theft of more than $300,000.
USCIS announced the arrest on Monday, saying the individual was apprehended through a collaboration between the agency and its federal law-enforcement partners.
The agency did not disclose the suspect’s name or provide further details about the alleged offenses.
“Working with our federal partners, USCIS helped apprehend a Nigerian alien charged with visa fraud and theft of more than $300,000 when he came to our Houston office,” the agency said.
USCIS added that the cooperation between immigration officials and federal law-enforcement agencies was aimed at ensuring that individuals accused of violating U.S. immigration laws and committing financial crimes are held accountable.
The development comes amid other cases involving Nigerian nationals and alleged immigration-related fraud in the United States.
Recently, two Nigerian nationals, Lukman Owolabi Ganiyu and Adeniyi Akeem Somoye, were charged over an alleged scheme involving bribes to manipulate and expedite immigration applications.
Ganiyu, a former senior immigration services officer with USCIS, and Somoye were accused of participating in a multi-year scheme in which kickbacks were allegedly received in exchange for manipulating immigration applications.
