Citizen from the Congo who Committed Visa Fraud Sentenced and Fined

A man who came to the United States in 2023 was sentenced today to three years' probation, 90 days of home confinement, and fined for committing visa fraud. Bienvenu Saido Binyangi, age 37, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, received the prison term after a December 11, 2025, guilty plea to one count of visa fraud.

Three other individuals who were charged in the same indictment with conspiracy have already been sentenced. Joseph Longanga Okoko was sentenced to three months' imprisonment. Medard Lotahe Elonge was sentenced to twelve months and one day imprisonment. Joseph Onolenga Okamba was sentenced to six months' imprisonment.

In a plea agreement, Binyangi admitted that he entered the United States on a B1/B2 visa that he obtained by fraud because he did not intend to stay in the United States for temporary business or pleasure, but rather to reunite with his family in the Northern District of Iowa.

At sentencing, the evidence showed that when Binyangi entered the United States, he reunited with his family, including Joseph Okoko's daughter, and their minor children. Binyangi subsequently petitioned for asylum. The evidence at sentencing also showed that Binyangi had unsuccessfully entered the diversity visa lottery while in the Congo and provided false information about his marital status. The evidence also showed that Binyangi had gotten married in Congo; however, he hid that information from immigration officials.

Binyangi was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams. Binyangi was sentenced to three years' probation, 90 days of home confinement, and fined $500.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Cole and Nicole L. Nagin and was investigated by the Department of State's Diplomatic Security Service, the United States Postal Inspection Service, United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Waterloo Police Department, the Sioux City Police Department, and the Iowa Department of Transportation.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The core mission of the Fraud Division is to zealously investigate and prosecute those who steal or fraudulently misuse taxpayer dollars. Department of Justice efforts to combat fraud support President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.plLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link..

The case file number is 24-CR-2052.

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