Conspiracy for immigration fraud
In a media release shared on March 13, the United States Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts, announced that eleven Indian nationals based in Massachusetts, Ohio, and Kentucky have been charged in connection with a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications. United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, made the announcement.
The defendants Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts. Among the other defendants, Rameshbhai Patel was arrested in Kentucky, while Sonal Patel and Minkesh Patel were arrested in Ohio. All have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
All for a U Visa
According to the charging documents, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and other places.
The alleged purpose of the staged robberies was to allow the clerks present at the businesses to falsely claim that they were victims of a violent crime on an application for a U category non-immigration status (U Visa). A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.
The modus operandi
In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the person pretending to be the armed robber (in this case, Rambhai Patel) would threaten store clerks and/or owners with a firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling the police to report the “crime.”
The so-called “victims” are alleged to have each paid Patel to participate in the scheme. In turn, Patel allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery. charged and convicted. The defendants charged on March 13 were alleged to have either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery, or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.