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.

 

In a statement issued here Monday, the American Consulate said that Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts and released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston on March 13. 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 the charging documents, in March 2023, Rambhai Patel and his co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and more elsewhere.

 

According to federal prosecutors, the accused individuals allegedly arranged or took part in a scheme in which fake robberies were carried out at convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food outlets in Massachusetts. The incidents were reportedly staged to allow store clerks to claim they were victims of violent crime while applying for U non-immigrant status, commonly known as a U Visa.

 

“Authorities said the staged robberies involved a person posing as a robber who would threaten store employees with what appeared to be a firearm, take cash from the register and flee the scene. The interactions were typically captured on store surveillance cameras. Investigators allege that store clerks and owners waited several minutes before contacting police, allowing the suspect to escape and making the robbery appear genuine.”

 

Prosecutors claim the individuals posing as victims paid an organizer to participate in the scheme, while store owners were allegedly compensated for allowing their businesses to be used during the staged incidents.

 

The statement said that the defendants face one count each of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Several of the accused were arrested in Massachusetts and appeared in federal court in Boston, while others were taken into custody in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio and are expected to appear in Boston federal court at a later date.

 

Authorities noted that the organizer of the scheme, along with the individual who allegedly carried out the robberies and the getaway driver, had previously been charged and convicted in connection with the case.

 

If convicted, the defendants could face up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.

 

The investigation involved multiple agencies, including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and several state and local police departments.

 

Officials emphasized that the allegations are contained in charging documents and that the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in a court of law.