Indians among six charged with faking robberies in US visa scam
Updated: May 20th, 2024
How far would you go for a US visa? For Bhikhabhai Patel (51), Nilesh Patel (32), Ravinaben Patel (23), and Rajkumar Patel (32)—all currently living in the US–jail seems to be the unlikely answer.
They, along with Parth Nayi (26) and Kewon Young (31), are among six people indicted by a US federal court for conspiring to commit visa fraud.
On top of the conspiracy-to-commit-fraud charges, Ravina has also been charged with making a false statement in a visa application.
According to court documents, the Patels all paid “thousands of dollars” to be “victims” in a string of staged armed robberies planned and executed by Nayi and Young.
But why?
According to a statement from the the US attorney’s office, Northern District of Illinois, Bhikhabhai, Nilesh, Ravina and Rajkumar wanted to submit applications for U nonimmigrant status (“U-visa”), which is set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in an investigation or prosecution.
How it worked, or didn’t
US authorities say that Nayi and Young wielded what seemed to be firearms during staged robberies, demanding money and belongings from the “victims” at restaurants, coffee shops, liquor stores, and gas stations in Chicago and its surburbs, as well as in Louisiana and Tennessee.
Later, the “victims” filed forms with local authorities to certify their involvement in a qualifying crime and to offer assistance in the investigation. Subsequently, some of them submitted fraudulent U-visa applications to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services, falsely claiming to be victims of robbery to support their applications.
What next?
The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, while the false statement charge against Ravina carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
So, if convicted, Ravina and the others may get exactly what they wanted: a longer stay in the US.
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