Eleven Indian nationals were charged in a federal conspiracy tied to staged armed robberies of convenience and fast food stores, allegedly engineered to provide false victim statements for immigration visa applications.
Federal authorities say the case centers on a scheme to create phony crime victims for the purpose of obtaining a U non-immigration status, commonly called a U Visa. The indictment names 11 defendants accused of planning, arranging, or paying to be placed in robberies so clerks could later claim they were victims of violent crimes on immigration applications.
Eleven Indian nationals 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. The following defendants have been charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud: 1. Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass.; 2. Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 3. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass.; 4. Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass.; 5. Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky.; 6. Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.; 7. Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Miss.; 8. Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass.; 9. Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; 10. Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio; and 11. Mitul Patel, 40, unlawfully residing in Worcester, Mass.
Several defendants were taken into custody in Massachusetts and released after making initial appearances in federal court in Boston. Others were arrested and made initial appearances in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio and are scheduled to appear in Boston at a later date. The arrests follow charging documents that outline how the alleged scheme operated across multiple states.
Prosecutors allege the organizer and co-conspirators staged at least six robberies beginning in March 2023 at convenience stores, liquor stores and fast food locations in Massachusetts and other states. In each episode the “robber” allegedly brandished what appeared to be a firearm, forced cash from registers and fled while surveillance cameras recorded the interaction.
According to the indictment, store employees or owners who were part of the plan then waited several minutes before calling police, creating official incident reports they could later use to claim harm on immigration forms. The charging papers say participants paid the organizer to be listed as victims, and that the organizer paid store owners to let the staged robberies happen at their premises.
Officials say parts of the plot included an alleged “robber” and a getaway driver who had previously been charged and convicted in related visa fraud prosecutions. The 11 defendants named in the current indictment are accused either of making arrangements for a staged robbery or of paying for themselves or a relative to play the role of a victim in order to support a U Visa application.
A U Visa is available to people who are victims of qualifying crimes and who have suffered physical or mental abuse while cooperating with law enforcement. Prosecutors emphasize that the charge in this case is conspiracy to commit visa fraud, which carries a potential sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, subject to federal sentencing rules and guidelines.
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 investigation reportedly involved assistance from multiple U.S. Attorney’s Offices, several FBI field offices, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations, state police and numerous local police departments across jurisdictions.
Prosecutors say Assistant U.S. Attorneys are handling the federal criminal case and that the charging documents set out allegations that remain to be proven. The details contained in the charging documents are allegations.
The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
