An Indian national, Mitul Patel, was ordered removed from the US after pleading guilty to participating in a conspiracy that staged armed robberies to support fraudulent U Visa applications.
Prosecutors said fake robberies were carried out at convenience stores and fast-food outlets, with participants posing as crime victims to claim immigration benefits.
Patel was sentenced to time served (one day in prison) and fined USD 1,000, while the alleged organiser and other key conspirators had already been convicted.
An Indian national, Mitul Patel, has been ordered removed from the United States after pleading guilty to participating in a visa fraud conspiracy in which armed robberies were allegedly staged to help individuals fraudulently obtain immigration benefits.
According to a press release issued by the US Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts, the 40-year-old who was unlawfully residing in Worcester, Massachusetts, was sentenced by US District Judge Myong J. Joun to time served (one day in prison), fined USD 1,000, and ordered removed from the United States.
Patel was among 11 people charged in March 2026 in connection with the conspiracy. He pleaded guilty in June 2026.
Prosecutors alleged that the scheme, which began in March 2023, involved staging armed robberies at at least six convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts and other states. The robberies were allegedly orchestrated so that store clerks could falsely claim they had been victims of violent crime while applying for U non-immigrant visas, commonly known as U Visas.
A 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 charging documents, the staged robberies followed a scripted pattern. A fake robber would enter a store, threaten clerks with what appeared to be a firearm, take cash from the register and flee, while surveillance cameras recorded the incident. The clerks allegedly waited several minutes before reporting the "crime" to police, creating the appearance of a genuine armed robbery.
Investigators alleged that those posing as victims paid the scheme's organiser, Rambhai Patel, to participate. Rambhai Patel, in turn, allegedly paid store owners to allow their premises to be used for the staged incidents.
Authorities said Mitul Patel paid Rambhai Patel to act as a victim in one such staged robbery at a Worcester store in October 2023.
The alleged organiser, Rambhai Patel, along with the individual who played the role of the armed robber and getaway driver Balwinder Singh, had previously been charged and were convicted in May 2025.
The investigation was led by the FBI's Boston Division with assistance from multiple federal agencies, including US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), several US Attorney's Offices, state police and local law enforcement agencies across multiple states.
Officials noted that the allegations in the charging documents apply to the remaining defendants, who are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
