Four law enforcement officials, including two current police chiefs, in Louisiana are accused of fabricating police reports in a scheme to illegally obtain U.S. visas for immigrants, federal prosecutors said Wednesday.

Prosecutors said the chiefs and other officials exploited a program that offers immigrant victims of violent crime a pathway to residency and citizenship.

The false police reports would indicate that the immigrant was a victim of a crime that would qualify them to apply for a so-called U visa, authorities said.