Federal authorities charge 11 Indian nationals in visa fraud scheme
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Federal authorities say 11 Indian citizens have been charged with attempting to stage armed robberies at grocery stores and restaurants so participants could claim they were crime victims when applying for immigration benefits.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, the defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud. massachusetts.
Prosecutors allege the scheme focused on fake robberies designed to help clerks or store owners obtain U visas, a type of immigration assistance offered to certain serious crime victims who assist law enforcement.
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The six defendants were arrested in Massachusetts and released after their initial hearing in federal court in Boston. Others were arrested in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio and are expected to appear later in Boston.
The 11th accused was previously deported to India, officials said.
Indian citizens have been charged in a visa fraud scheme that involved fake robberies at Massachusetts stores. Federal authorities say the 11 defendants staged an armed robbery to claim visa benefits. (FBI Boston/X)
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; There were other events in other places.
Investigators say the staged robberies were carried out according to a script.
The alleged robber entered a business, threatened the clerks or business owners with something that looked like a gun, took the money from the safe and ran away.
The encounters were captured on store surveillance video, helping create the appearance of legitimate crime, prosecutors said.
Federal authorities arrested 11 Indian citizens accused of staging fake robberies to defraud the immigration system. (FBI Boston/X)
Authorities alleged that clerks or proprietors waited five minutes or more before calling the police, giving the would-be robber time to escape and making the events seem real.
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Prosecutors say participants portrayed as victims paid an organizer to participate in the program. It was alleged that the organizer paid the store owners to use their workplaces as a robbery location.
Prosecutors say 11 people conspired to commit a statewide armed robbery scam, with participants paying organizers to be listed as visa victims. (FBI Boston/X)
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The alleged organizer had already been charged and convicted in the case, along with the robber and alleged getaway driver, according to federal officials. The 11 people charged this week are accused of either organizing the robbery with the organizer or paying to have themselves or their relatives listed as victims.
The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a possible penalty of up to five years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Any sentencing will be determined by a federal judge.
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According to a statement from the Massachusetts Department of Justice, the following defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud:
- Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, illegally residing in Marshfield, Massachusetts
- Maheshkumar Patel, 36, illegally residing in Randolph, Massachusetts
- Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, illegally residing in Quincy, Massachusetts
- Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after illegally residing in Weymouth, Massachusetts
- Rameshbhai Patel, 52, illegally residing in Eubank, Kentucky
- Amitabahen Patel, 43, illegally residing in Plainville, Massachusetts
- Ronakkumar Patel, 28, illegally residing in Maryland Heights, Mississippi
- Sangitaben Patel, 36, illegally residing in Randolph, Massachusetts
- Minkesh Patel, 42, illegal resident of Perrysburg, Ohio
- Sonal Patel, 42, illegal resident of Perrysburg, Ohio
- Mitul Patel, 40, illegally residing in Worcester, Massachusetts
