2 min readNew YorkUpdated: Apr 11, 2026 09:11 AM IST
Ten Indian nationals living illegally in the US have been indicted for visa fraud conspiracy involving staged armed robberies at convenience stores. The indictment, handed down by a federal grand jury in Boston, charges the individuals with conspiring to allow store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications tribuneindia.com
Individuals charged in Visa fraud are:
- Jitendrakumar Patel, 39
- Maheshkumar Patel, 36
- Sanjaykumar Patel, 45
- Dipikaben Patel, 40 (deported to India)
- Rameshbhai Patel, 52
- Amitabahen Patel, 43
- Ronakkumar Patel, 28
- Sangitaben Patel, 36
- Minkesh Patel, 42
- Sonal Patel, 42
All 10 defendants were previously charged by criminal complaint and released on conditions.
Rameshbhai Patel and Ronakkumar Patel have been taken into immigration custody.
The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed, Justice Department said Thursday.
This case stems from an investigation into Rambhai Patel, the organiser of the scheme, and getaway driver Balwinder Singh both of whom were charged in December 2023 and later convicted in May 2025.
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 or liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
It is alleged that the purpose of staged robberies was to allow the clerks present to falsely claim they were victims of a violent crime on an application for U Visa. In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the “robber” would allegedly threaten store clerks or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video.
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The clerks or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the alleged robber had escaped before calling police.
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