Timothy T. Duax U.S. Attorney | U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa
A man originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo was sentenced on January 30, 2026, for participating in a scheme to defraud the United States government through the diversity visa lottery system.
Joseph Longanga Okoko, age 69, entered the United States in 2013 on a visa and later applied for asylum. According to court documents, Okoko petitioned for several of his children who remained in Congo to join him in the U.S. In his application, he stated that one of his children was unmarried. However, as part of a plea agreement, Okoko admitted that this child had married Bienvenu Saido Binyangi before coming to the United States. Okoko did not update immigration authorities about this change.
Okoko also falsely reported on an application to adjust his status that he had never been charged with or convicted of a crime. In reality, he was convicted of disorderly conduct and violent behavior in Black Hawk County, Iowa, on December 5, 2019.
Further admissions revealed that Okoko helped individuals in Congo enter the United States illegally by providing false information on immigration paperwork and facilitating fake marriages for diversity visa lottery winners. He financed their entry into the country but demanded repayment at rates between one hundred and three hundred percent above his costs.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Okoko in Cedar Rapids to three months in prison and imposed a $10,000 fine. Upon release from prison, Okoko will be subject to three years of supervised release; there is no parole available under federal law.
Following sentencing, Okoko was released on bond and must surrender to authorities at a date yet to be determined. Other defendants charged alongside him—Medard Lotahe Elonge, Joseph Onolenga Okamba, and Bienvenu Saido Binyangi—have also pleaded guilty but have not yet been sentenced.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Cole and Nicole L. Nagin. The investigation involved multiple agencies: Department of State; United States Postal Inspection Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Waterloo Police Department; Sioux City Police Department; and Iowa Department of Transportation.
According to officials, "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."
