Federal authorities have indicted 11 individuals from India in connection with a scheme involving staged armed robberies at convenience stores and restaurants. The purpose of these staged crimes was to allow participants to falsely present themselves as crime victims when applying for immigration benefits.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts announced that the defendants face charges related to conspiracy to commit visa fraud. The fraudulent activities were allegedly orchestrated to facilitate the acquisition of U visas, which are designed to provide immigration relief to victims of serious crimes who cooperate with law enforcement.
According to prosecutors, the elaborate scheme involved fake robberies, with the intention of enabling clerks or store owners to seek these specific immigration benefits. The U visa is particularly aimed at individuals who have suffered as a result of certain criminal activities and have aided authorities in their investigations.
In Massachusetts, six of the defendants were apprehended and subsequently released following initial court appearances in Boston. Additional arrests were made in Kentucky, Missouri, and Ohio, with those suspects anticipated to appear in Boston’s federal court at a later date.
Authorities also revealed that an 11th individual involved in the scheme had already been deported back to India.
This case highlights a significant visa fraud operation where Indian nationals are accused of fabricating robberies at Massachusetts businesses to exploit U visa benefits, underscoring the vigilance required in the oversight of immigration processes.
According to charging documents, the alleged conspiracy began in March 2023, and involved at least six convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts, with additional incidents elsewhere.
Investigators say the staged robberies followed a script.
A purported robber would enter a business, threaten clerks or owners with what appeared to be a firearm, take cash from the register and flee.
The encounters were captured on store surveillance video, prosecutors said, helping create the appearance of legitimate crimes.
Federal authorities arrested 11 Indian nationals accused of orchestrating fake robberies to defraud the immigration system. (FBI Boston/X)
Authorities allege the clerks or owners then waited five minutes or more before calling police, allowing the supposed robber time to escape and making the incidents appear real.
Prosecutors say the participants portrayed as victims paid an organizer to take part in the scheme. The organizer, in turn, allegedly paid store owners for the use of their businesses as robbery locations.
Prosecutors say 11 people conspired to fake armed robberies across states, with participants paying organizers to be listed as victims for visas. (FBI Boston/X)
The alleged organizer, along with the purported robber and a getaway driver, had already been charged and convicted in the case, according to federal authorities. The 11 people charged this week are accused of either arranging robberies with the organizer or paying for themselves or relatives to be listed as victims.
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.
According to a release from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, the following defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud:
- Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass.;
- Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.;
- Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass.;
- Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass.;
- Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky.;
- Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.;
- Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.;
- Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.;
- Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio;
- Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; and
- Mitul Patel, 40, unlawfully residing in Worcester, Mass.
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