Louisiana police chiefs, businessman among 5 indicted in alleged visa fraud scheme

Four law enforcement officials and a businessman in Central Louisiana are accused of falsifying crime reports to help foreign nationals remain in the United States.

Federal prosecutors indicted Oakdale Police Chief Chad Doyle and Forest Hill Police Chief Glynn Dixon along with Former Glenmora Police Chief Tebo Onishea, Oakdale Ward 5 Marshal Mike “Freck” Slaney and businessman Chandrakant Patel, aka “Lala.” Doyle and Dixon were taken into custody Tuesday at a Baton Rouge hotel hosting the Louisiana Association of Chiefs of Police annual conference.

U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook said the men were abusing U visas, which are given to foreign nationals who were either a victim of, or witnessed a crime so they can remain in the country until it’s prosecuted. The U visa also allows their family members to remain in the U.S.

“ Each report listed several victims of purported armed robberies in central Louisiana, and the defendants produced false police reports so that the purported victims of the robberies could apply for U visas,” Van Hook added.

Van Hook said foreign nationals paid $5,000 for the false crime reports, and there were hundreds of payments.

“ These, U visas are designed to help law enforcement and prosecutors prosecute crimes where you need the victim or the witness there. And so these U visas serve a valuable purpose, and this is the case where the U visas were abused,” said Van Hook.

The investigation, which began in July 2024, identified incidents as far back as 2015.

The case is being investigated by Homeland Security, the FBI, IRS and being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorneys Office.

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A list of their charges are as follows:

Chandrakant Patel

• Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud (1 count)
• Bribery (1 count)
• Mail Fraud (24 counts)
• Money Laundering (8 counts)

Chad Doyle

• Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud (1 count)
• Visa Fraud (6 counts)
• Mail Fraud (6 counts)
• Money Laundering (1 count)

Michael Slaney

• Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud (1 count)
• Visa Fraud (6 counts)
• Mail Fraud (6 counts)
• Money Laundering (2 counts)

Glynn Dixon

• Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud (1 count)
• Visa Fraud (6 counts)
• Mail Fraud (6 counts)
• Money Laundering (1 count)

Tebo Onishea

• Conspiracy to Commit Visa Fraud (1 count)
• Visa Fraud (6 counts)
• Mail Fraud (6 counts)