A man originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Joseph Longanga Okoko, has been sentenced to prison for his role in a scheme to defraud the U.S. government through the diversity visa lottery system.
Okoko, 69, entered the United States on a visa in 2013 and later applied for asylum. After arriving, he petitioned for several of his children to join him from Congo. In his application, Okoko stated that one of his children was unmarried. However, according to a plea agreement, Okoko admitted that by May 2019 this child had married Bienvenu Saido Binyangi before coming to the United States. Okoko did not update immigration authorities about this change.
Additionally, when applying to adjust his immigration status, Okoko falsely claimed he had never been charged with or convicted of a crime. In reality, he had been convicted on December 5, 2019, in Black Hawk County, Iowa for disorderly conduct involving fighting or violent behavior.
Okoko also admitted to helping individuals in Congo enter the United States illegally by providing false information on immigration documents and assisting diversity visa lottery winners in entering into sham marriages so they could immigrate unlawfully. He financed some individuals’ entry into the country but required them to repay him at rates between one hundred and three hundred percent of his costs.
United States District Court Chief Judge C.J. Williams sentenced Okoko in Cedar Rapids on January 30, 2026. The sentence includes three months’ imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. Upon release from prison, Okoko will serve three years of supervised release; there is no parole in the federal system.
Okoko remains free on bond and must surrender to U.S. Marshals at a date yet to be determined. Three others charged in connection with the same indictment—Medard Lotahe Elonge, Joseph Onolenga Okamba, and Bienvenu Saido Binyangi—have also pleaded guilty but have not yet been sentenced.
Assistant United States Attorneys Matthew J. Cole and Nicole L. Nagin prosecuted the case following an investigation by multiple agencies including the Department of State; United States Postal Inspection Service; Immigration and Customs Enforcement; Waterloo Police Department; Sioux City Police Department; and Iowa Department of Transportation.
The prosecution is part of Operation Take Back America—a national effort aimed at combating illegal immigration and transnational criminal organizations while protecting communities from violent crime perpetrators.
