11 Indian nationals have been charged in the US for allegedly participating in a scheme to stage armed robberies of convenience stores so that store employees could falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications. According to US prosecutors, the accused faces a charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Many of the defendants were arrested in Boston, while others were detained in states including Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. An official document revealed that some of the detainees in Massachusetts appeared before a federal court and were later released, while the remaining defendants are expected to appear before a federal court in Boston at a later time.
According to charging documents, in March 2023, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators prepared and carried out armed robberies of at least six convenience or liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and elsewhere. The purpose of the staged robberies was allegedly to allow attending employees to falsely claim to be victims of a violent crime when applying for nonimmigrant status (U Visa).
The African Union visa was available to victims of certain crimes who suffered mental or physical abuse and who assisted law enforcement authorities in investigating or prosecuting criminal activity.In the course of the alleged robberies, the “thief” threatened store employees and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking money from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video.
The employees and/or owners then waited five minutes or more until the “thief” fled before calling the police to report the “crime.” The “victims” allegedly paid Patel to participate in the scheme.
In return, Patel allegedly paid store owners to use their stores in the staged robbery.
Patel, the “thief” and the getaway driver have previously been charged and convicted. The 11 defendants charged today allegedly either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery, or paid themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a penalty of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The sentences were imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the laws governing the determination of sentencing in a criminal case.The details contained in the charging documents were allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.The defendants are: 1. Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, illegally residing in Marshfield, Massachusetts; 2. Maheshkumar Patel, 36, illegally residing in Randolph, Massachusetts; 3. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, illegally residing in Quincy, Massachusetts; 4. Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after residing illegally in Weymouth, Massachusetts; 5. Rameshbhai Patel, 52, illegally residing in Eubank, Kentucky; 6. Amitabaheen Patel, 43, illegally residing in Plainville, Massachusetts; 7. Ronakumar Patel, 28, illegally residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.; 8. Sanjeetaben Patel, 36, illegally residing in Randolph, Massachusetts; 9. Menkesh Patel, 42, illegally residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; 10. Sonal Patel, 42, illegal resident of Perrysburg, Ohio; and11. Mitul Patel, 40, illegally residing in Worcester, Massachusetts.