An Indian national living unlawfully in the United States has received an order of removal after pleading guilty to his role in a conspiracy that staged fake armed robberies to support fraudulent U visa applications.According to the US Department of Justice (DOJ), Mitul Patel, 40, was sentenced by a federal court in Boston to one day in prison (time served), fined $1,000 and ordered deported after admitting his involvement in the visa fraud scheme.
Paid to pose as robbery victim
According to the official DOJ website, Patel pleaded guilty in June 2026 along with 10 others charged in the conspiracy after being arrested earlier this year.Federal prosecutors said he paid the alleged organiser, Rambhai Patel, to pose as a victim during a staged armed robbery at a convenience store in Worcester, Massachusetts, in October 2023.Investigators alleged that the conspiracy began in March 2023, when Rambhai Patel and his associates orchestrated fake armed robberies at at least six convenience stores, liquor shops and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts and other states.
Scheme allegedly exploited U visa programme
Prosecutors said the staged robberies were intended to help store clerks falsely claim they had been victims of violent crime while applying for U non-immigrant status, commonly known as a U visa.The U visa is available to victims of certain qualifying crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and have assisted law enforcement authorities in investigating or prosecuting criminal activity.According to court documents, a participant posing as the robber allegedly entered stores armed with what appeared to be a firearm, threatened employees, took cash from the register and fled.The incidents were deliberately captured on surveillance cameras, after which the clerks allegedly waited several minutes before calling police to report the “robbery.”
Victims allegedly paid organiser
Federal prosecutors alleged that participants seeking immigration benefits paid Rambhai Patel to be included in the scheme. In turn, he allegedly compensated store owners for allowing their businesses to be used for the staged crimes.Authorities said the organiser, the alleged fake robber and getaway driver Balwinder Singh had already been convicted in May 2025.The DOJ said the investigation involved the FBI, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, multiple US Attorney’s Offices and several state and local law enforcement agencies.Prosecutors noted that the allegations against the remaining defendants are pending, and they are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
