Federal officials have indicted two Texas residents, Abdul Hadi Murshid, 39, and Muhammad Salman Nasir, 35, in connection with a years-long visa fraud scheme that involved fake jobs, false paperwork, and unlawful attempts to gain U.S. citizenship. The indictment also names two business entities: Law Offices of D. Robert Jones PLLC and Reliable Ventures, Inc.
The individuals are accused of working together to file fake visa applications for foreign nationals, known as visa seekers, in exchange for large sums of money. They allegedly submitted documents claiming that the visa seekers had job offers in the United States—jobs that, in reality, never existed. These actions allowed many people to fraudulently enter and remain in the U.S.
To make the fake jobs look real, the defendants placed job ads in newspapers as required by the U.S. Department of Labor. But the ads were just a formality—no one was ever hired. Once the Department of Labor approved the job certifications, the group submitted the fake job details to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to help visa seekers get green cards.
According to the charges, visa seekers paid the defendants to be part of the scheme. A portion of that money was then sent back to the seekers as fake wages, making it look like they were being paid for jobs that didn’t exist.
A Deeply Coordinated Operation
The indictment paints a picture of an organized criminal operation run through the law firm and business entity. The fraud was not only about helping people get into the country illegally but also about exploiting the legal immigration system for financial gain.
Authorities say Murshid and Nasir misused three major U.S. visa programs: EB-2, EB-3, and H-1B. These programs are designed to help skilled foreign workers come to the U.S. lawfully, but in this case, they were allegedly twisted to serve a money-making racket.
Murshid also faces charges of unlawfully obtaining and trying to obtain U.S. citizenship. If convicted, he could lose his citizenship status entirely.
Because of the scale and organization of the scheme, prosecutors have included a charge under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act. This is a serious federal law typically used to take down large criminal enterprises. It reflects how seriously the government is treating the case.
Legal Proceedings Underway
Both Murshid and Nasir made their initial court appearances on May 23, 2025, before U.S. Magistrate Judge Rebecca Rutherford. The government has asked that they be held without bail until trial, citing the seriousness of the offenses and the risk of flight. Their detention hearings are scheduled for May 30, 2025, before Judge Brian McKay.
If convicted, both men face up to 20 years in federal prison. Murshid could also be denaturalized, meaning he could lose his U.S. citizenship.
The case is being investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations, USCIS, the Diplomatic Security Service, and the Department of Labor’s Office of Inspector General. Prosecutors handling the case are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ted Hocter, Tiffany H. Eggers, and Jongwoo Chung.
As always, it’s important to remember that an indictment is not proof of guilt. Murshid, Nasir, and the companies involved are considered innocent unless proven guilty in court.
