Ten Indian citizens have been indicted by a United States jury in Boston for conspiring to stage armed robberies at convenience stores so that store clerks there could falsely claim to be victims of crime and apply for visas.
They had been charged in March after a criminal complaint had been filed against them.
At the time, US prosecutors alleged that as part of the conspiracy, the store clerks were to claim that they were victims of violent crime on their applications for U non-immigration visas. The visas are meant for victims of crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse, and who have been helpful to law enforcement.
According to the charging documents, an Indian man named Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators had in March 2023 staged armed robberies in at least six convenience stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts, as well as more such incidents elsewhere. Rambhai Patel was in August held guilty by a court in Boston and sentenced to 20 months and eight days in prison.
Eleven others were charged on March 13 for either helping to stage the robberies, or to pay for themselves or a family member to take part in the conspiracy as a purported victim.
On Thursday, a press release from the US Attorney’s Office in the district of Massachusetts said that 10 of these Indians were indicted by a federal grand jury with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
The 10 indicted included Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Dipikaben Patel, Rameshbhai Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, Sangitaben Patel, Minkesh Patel and Sonal Patel.
The release said that the “10 defendants indicted today are alleged to have either arranged with Rambhai Patel to set up each robbery, or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a ‘victim’.”
It alleged that while most of them were unlawfully living in different parts of Massachusetts, some others were living similarly in Kentucky and Ohio.
Rameshbhai Patel and Ronakkumar Patel have been taken into immigration custody, the release said. “The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed,” it added.
The release also said that 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. Additionally, the defendants are subject to deportation after any sentence imposed, it added.
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