Oakdale Visa Fraud Ringleader Chandrakant Patel Sentenced to 10 Years

U.S. District Judge Jerry Edwards Jr. sentenced Chandrakant Patel, 40, of Oakdale, Louisiana, to 120 months in federal prison on November 9, 2026. That term is 10 years.

Patel pleaded guilty on May 28, 2026, to conspiracy to commit Visa Fraud and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from unlawful activity. He will be removed from the United States after completing his sentence. Four co-defendants also received federal prison terms.

The case centered on fabricated armed-robbery reports and false police certifications used to support fraudulent U-visa applications. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Louisiana announced the sentences.

Patel will be removed after serving his federal sentence

The prison term followed Patel’s guilty plea to two charges: conspiring to commit visa fraud and conducting monetary transactions involving property derived from unlawful activity. Removal is to follow his prison sentence.

Patel also forfeited assets. They included about $70,000 in cash and five pieces of property, according to details of the forfeiture. The property forfeiture was an additional consequence.

False robbery reports supplied the basis for fraudulent U-visa applications

Court documents place the scheme between about November 2020 and July 2025. Patel recruited foreign nationals seeking legal status in the United States and took payments to identify them falsely as victims in made-up armed robbery reports.

The four officials used their law enforcement positions to prepare false reports and certify immigration documents. Those documents supported fraudulent U-visa applications. U visas are available to certain noncitizens who are victims of qualifying crimes and assist law enforcement investigating or prosecuting those crimes.

During the scheme, Tebo Onishea was Glenmora’s police chief, Chad Doyle was Oakdale’s police chief, Michael Slaney was marshal of the Ward 5 Marshal’s Office, and Glynn Dixon was Forest Hill’s police chief. The conspirators also sent the fraudulent paperwork through the U.S. mail and other interstate carriers.

Patel admitted in court papers that he collected $20,000 from each applicant and paid the officials $5,000 for each false report. The payments were tied to the fabricated reports.

USCIS has not said whether it will reopen or revoke U-visa approvals obtained through the false certifications.

Four former law enforcement leaders received five-year federal terms

Each of the four former officials received 60 months in federal prison and two years of supervised release. Their individual sentences were:

• Tebo Onishea, 39, of Glenmora: He was sentenced September 2, 2026, after pleading guilty May 28, 2026. He had served as Glenmora’s police chief.
• Chad Doyle, 56, of Oakdale: He was sentenced September 15, 2026, after pleading guilty May 20, 2026. He was Oakdale’s police chief and received a $30,000 fine.
• Michael Slaney, 65, of Oakdale: He was sentenced September 16, 2026, after pleading guilty May 12, 2026. He was the Ward 5 marshal and received a $30,000 fine.
• Glynn Dixon, 63, of Forest Hill: He was sentenced November 9, 2026, after pleading guilty June 30, 2026. He was Forest Hill’s police chief and received a $30,000 fine.

Rapides Parish Clerk of Court records schedule Dixon’s state arraignment on a felony malfeasance-in-office count for November 16, 2026. The arraignment is the next scheduled state proceeding.