Two Texas men and two affiliated entities have been indicted in a large-scale immigration fraud scheme, federal prosecutors announced.
Abdul Hadi Murshid, 39, and Muhammad Salman Nasir, 35—both originally from Pakistan—were charged alongside the Law Offices of D. Robert Jones PLLC and Reliable Ventures, Inc., for allegedly manipulating visa programs for personal financial gain.
The indictment accuses the defendants of exploiting EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B visa categories by placing fake job advertisements to fulfill Department of Labor requirements. They then fraudulently obtained labor certifications and submitted false petitions to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Prosecutors allege that visa applicants paid fees for these bogus roles, and the defendants returned portions of these payments to simulate payroll and make the jobs appear legitimate.
Charges include conspiracy to defraud the U.S., visa fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and RICO conspiracy. Murshid and Nasir also face charges for unlawfully attempting to acquire U.S. citizenship.
Chad Meachum, Acting U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Texas, emphasized the seriousness of the case, calling it a “massive, multi-year immigration fraud scheme.” The FBI led the investigation with assistance from several federal agencies. Detention hearings are scheduled for May 30, and convictions could carry sentences of up to 20 years.
