Joseph Onolenga Okamba, a 40-year-old naturalized citizen from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was sentenced on June 1 to six months in federal prison for his role in a conspiracy to defraud the United States government. Okamba pleaded guilty on November 13, 2025, to conspiracy to defraud the United States.
According to court documents, Okamba admitted that he and others sought to fraudulently obtain visas for Congolese citizens who were not otherwise eligible for citizenship. This included assisting individuals with visa petitions based on fraudulent marriages and misrepresenting family relationships. In one instance, Okamba provided a fraudulent marriage certificate for submission as evidence before a grand jury. He also successfully petitioned for an individual claiming she was his birth mother while knowing they were not biologically related, and lied about her identity when questioned by law enforcement.
Two other members of the conspiracy have already been sentenced: Joseph Longanga Okoko received three months’ imprisonment and Medard Lotahe Elonge received twelve months and one day imprisonment. Another co-defendant, Bienvenu Saido Binyangi, has pled guilty but has yet to be sentenced.
Okamba was sentenced by Chief Judge C.J. Williams at the U.S. District Court in Cedar Rapids. His sentence includes six months’ imprisonment, a $4,000 fine, and three years of supervised release following his prison term; there is no parole in the federal system. He was released on bond pending surrender to U.S. Marshals on June 22.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Cole and Nicole L. Nagin and investigated by several agencies including the Department of State’s Diplomatic Security Service and United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
This prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative led by the Department of Justice aimed at combating illegal immigration-related crimes—and supports broader efforts such as President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance.
The U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa advocates for more than 1.3 million Iowans across 52 counties covering over 25,120 square miles; its office includes more than 20 assistant attorneys among its staff of about 60 employees prosecuting federal crimes and managing civil litigation matters, according to the official website.