11 Indians charged in US over visa fraud conspiracy
Washington: Eleven Indian nationals living illegally in the US have been charged with visa fraud for conspiring to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores to give the clerks an advantage on their immigration visas, federal prosecutors said.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the suspects allegedly organized fake robberies to allow store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications, in order to obtain U Visas and eventually a Green Card. 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 U visa offers an immigrant work authorisation and a path to a Green Card within 5-10 years.
The accused include Jitendrakumar Patel (39), Maheshkumar Patel (36), Sanjaykumar Patel (45), Dipikaben Patel (40), Rameshbhai Patel (52), Amitabahen Patel (43), Ronakkumar Patel (28), Sangitaben Patel (36), Minkesh Patel (42), Sonal Patel (42), and Mitul Patel (40). They all face one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, which carries up to five years in prison, three years supervised release, and a $250,000 fine.
Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts and released following an appearance in federal court on Friday. Rameshbhai Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, Sonal Patel and Minkesh Patel were arrested and made their initial appearances in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio. They will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to charging documents, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators staged armed robberies at at least six convenience/liquor stores, and fast-food outlets in Massachusetts in March 2023. During the staged attacks, the “robber” threatened clerks or owners with a firearm, took cash from the register, and fled, while surveillance cameras recorded the incident. The “victims” would then wait several minutes before calling the police to report the crime.
The victims allegedly paid Patel to participate in the scheme and in turn, Patel would allegedly pay the store owners to use their businesses to stage the robberies. Patel, the “robber,” and the getaway driver were previously charged and convicted, according to the department of justice. The 11 people charged on Friday are alleged to have either helped set up each robbery or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”
