Federal authorities have charged eleven Indian nationals over an alleged scheme in which armed robberies were staged at convenience stores and restaurants, allowing individuals to falsely present themselves as victims of crime while filing immigration applications.
According to federal prosecutors, the defendants face one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Investigators say the scheme was designed to create false evidence that store clerks had been victims of violent crime, a claim that could support applications for U non-immigrant status, commonly known as a U visa.
Those charged include Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, who was unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Massachusetts; Maheshkumar Patel, 36, of Randolph, Massachusetts; Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, of Quincy, Massachusetts; Dipikaben Patel, 40, who was deported to India after previously residing unlawfully in Weymouth, Massachusetts; Rameshbhai Patel, 52, of Eubank, Kentucky; Amitabahen Patel, 43, of Plainville, Massachusetts; Ronakkumar Patel, 28, of Maryland Heights, Missouri; Sangitaben Patel, 36, of Randolph, Massachusetts; Minkesh Patel, 42, of Perrysburg, Ohio; Sonal Patel, 42, also of Perrysburg, Ohio; and Mitul Patel, 40, of Worcester, Massachusetts.
Six of the defendants were arrested in Massachusetts and appeared in federal court in Boston earlier on Friday before being released. The remaining defendants were arrested in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio and are expected to appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.
According to charging documents, the alleged scheme began in March 2023 when Rambhai Patel and others organized staged robberies at several businesses.
Prosecutors stated that they carried out staged robberies at “at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and more elsewhere.”
Authorities allege that the goal of these incidents was to allow the clerks present during the robberies to falsely claim they had been victims of violent crimes when applying for a U visa.
A U visa is intended for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who help law enforcement investigate or prosecute criminal activity.
Investigators say that during the staged robberies, a person posing as the robber would enter the store and threaten clerks or owners with what appeared to be a firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing. The encounters were recorded on store surveillance cameras.
“The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the ‘robber’ had escaped before calling police to report the ‘crime,’” as per prosecutors in the charging documents.
Authorities also allege that individuals posing as victims paid Patel to participate in the scheme, while Patel allegedly paid store owners to allow their businesses to be used for the staged incidents.
Rambhai Patel, the person accused of carrying out the robberies, along with the alleged getaway driver, had previously been charged and convicted in connection with the operation. The eleven defendants charged this week are accused of either arranging the staged robberies with the organizer or paying for themselves or relatives to take part as victims.
If convicted, 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.
The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley along with Ted E. Docks, the special agent in charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. The investigation also involved assistance from multiple federal and local law enforcement agencies.
Authorities stressed that the case remains at the allegation stage.