TEXAS — Two Pakistani nationals living in Texas have been arrested for allegedly running a multi-year immigration fraud and money laundering operation involving fake job offers and fraudulent visa applications, according to the FBI.
Abdul Hadi Murshid, 39, and Muhammad Salman Nasir, 35, face multiple federal charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, visa fraud, money laundering, and racketeering. Murshid also faces a charge related to an illegal attempt to obtain U.S. citizenship.
The charges stem from a joint investigation led by FBI Dallas, which revealed that the two men—alongside a Texas-based law firm and a company called Reliable Ventures Inc.—operated a fraudulent immigration business for years.
According to court documents, the duo targeted visa seekers, helping them enter and remain in the U.S. illegally by submitting false visa petitions under the EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B visa programs. To make these applications appear legitimate, they allegedly placed fake job ads in newspapers to satisfy Department of Labor requirements and filed petitions for permanent residency based on non-existent employment offers.
They are also accused of creating the illusion of legitimate employment by paying fake salaries, returning part of the visa seekers’ payments as if they were regular income.
“These defendants are charged with engaging in extensive measures to hide a massive, multi-year, immigration fraud scheme through which they reaped substantial personal financial gain,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Chad E. Meacham.
FBI Dallas Special Agent in Charge R. Joseph Rothrock added: “The defendants allegedly oversaw an international criminal enterprise that repeatedly undermined our nation’s immigration laws.”
Both Murshid and Nasir appeared in federal court on May 23. The U.S. government has requested they be held without bond until their trial, with a detention hearing set for May 30.
If convicted, each could face up to 20 years in prison, and Murshid may also be stripped of his U.S. citizenship.
