By Joe Barrett
OAKDALE, La. -- This southwestern Louisiana city of 6,600 is home to a federal prison, a plywood mill and a couple of takeout crawfish joints. Now, it also finds itself at the center of a baffling crime spree.
For nearly a decade, Oakdale and its neighboring towns endured "an unusual concentration of armed robberies of people who were not from Louisiana," then-acting U.S. Attorney Alexander Van Hook said at a news conference last summer.
He then delivered the punchline: "In fact, the armed robberies never took place."
The real alleged crimes, detailed in a sprawling 62-count federal indictment, have shaken this rural stretch of the Pelican State -- less for the charges than the names of the accused. Among the defendants: three then-current or former police chiefs, an elected marshal and a local business owner.
In a case still winding through court, federal officials allege the men spent nearly 10 years manufacturing false crime reports as part of a visa-fraud scheme. The operation netted the officers $5,000 per "victim" and helped hundreds of foreign nationals secure U visas -- a status that allows certain crime victims to remain in the U.S., Van Hook said.
The Trump administration has focused on illegal immigration at U.S. borders and in major cities. The Louisiana case alleges another pathway -- one far from any border and aided from inside small-town police departments.
The arrests sent shock waves up and down U.S. Route 165, which connects Oakdale, Glenmora and Forest Hill, a village of 600 that calls itself the "Nursery Capital of Louisiana." Some 200 law-enforcement officers descended on homes, police stations and a local Subway shop owned by the businessman.
Word traveled fast. "You all lying!" a shop owner in Glenmora, population 1,000, recalls exclaiming when she heard agents had surrounded the former police chief's house there. She hopped in her car to see for herself.
Months later, locals still talk about the scandal in hushed voices, wary of drawing more attention to their towns.
"People are scared to open their mouths," said Reba Campbell, 64, who works in a florist in sleepy downtown Oakdale. "Nobody really knows the whole story."
'Shop With a Cop'
The center of the scheme, authorities said, was Chandrakant "Lala" Patel, the friendly owner of a Subway and other small businesses. Patel, himself a U visa recipient, would allegedly connect with crime "victims" looking to stay in the U.S.
He would then turn to one of the law-enforcement officials to draw up paperwork for crimes that never happened, according to the indictment: in Oakdale, Chad Doyle, the police chief, and Michael "Freck" Slaney, the elected marshal; in Forest Hill, Glynn Dixon, who ran the police department; and Tebo Onishea, a former chief, in Glenmora, where the emptied-out downtown somehow remains quaint, with a fancy coffee shop, cozy diner and a boutique called CCLS (for cute, classy and a little sassy).
The officers would generate false reports and swear in writing that the people named were legitimate crime victims, prosecutors said. For years, it worked, authorities said. Investigators with the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services spurred the multiagency probe in July 2024 after uncovering a pattern of inconsistencies in U-visa applications.
The defendants face visa-fraud conspiracy and other charges. Patel, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon and Onishea have all pleaded not guilty, although in recent days, the court scheduled plea-change hearings for Patel and Onishea. Lawyers for the defendants declined to comment but in court referenced the men's community service, according to local reports. Onishea served in the Army National Guard for 15 years, including a tour in Iraq, an Army spokesman said.
All were familiar faces locally. Doyle and Slaney, known as close friends, kept up busy civic lives, according to social-media posts. They flipped burgers for the Lions Club. They handed out smoke detectors for the elderly. Slaney sponsored a "Shop With a Cop" holiday program.
Herbert Byrd, 57, a former Oakdale officer, said Doyle delivered after he was first elected chief in 2020, securing equipment upgrades and long-sought raises for the force.
But over time, Byrd observed something. "I noticed he was taking an awful lot of cruises. But then again, who am I to judge?" Byrd said. "He could have come from money for all I know. I just thought it was kind of strange."
The very idea of an armed-robbery spree strains belief in towns where some still leave their doors unlocked. Richard Reigel, 46, who spent about a decade as a police officer in Oakdale and nearby towns before moving to Ohio, could "honestly recall maybe two, maybe three" such robberies.
"This is a very, very significant case," Van Hook said in announcing the arrests. "$5,000 per name adds up."
Hundreds reportedly obtained U visas through the scheme, and Louisiana isn't alone.
'Really angry'
Earlier this month, a federal grand jury in Boston indicted 10 Indian nationals for allegedly staging convenience-store holdups in Massachusetts and elsewhere to secure U visas. A bogus robber and getaway driver would appear to rob the clerk or owner at gunpoint, then flee, authorities said. Minutes later, the clerk would call police and present security-camera footage as evidence.
Back in Louisiana, a federal judge delayed a March trial date and hasn't set a new one. Locals wish the whole thing would blow over.
"When I think about it, it makes me really angry," said Steve Staples, who owns International Vintage Guitars on Oakdale's quiet main drag. "I think it hurt the reputation of our town."
Since his arrest, Doyle has kept up a daily stream of inspirational Facebook posts. "The true test of strength lies not in never faltering, but in knowing where to turn when we do. Have a Blessed Day!" read a recent one.
Between the posts, Doyle still advertises barbecues and bingo at the Lions Club -- and still attends their meetings.
Doyle was there recently when the Lions invited Kevin Cavell, a 64-year-old former Baton Rouge police commander now running for Oakdale chief, to lay out his vision for the department.
"He didn't have any questions for me," Cavell said.
Write to Joe Barrett at Joseph.Barrett@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 20, 2026 22:00 ET (02:00 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2026 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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