Staged Robberies: Two Indian American Men From New York Charged with Visa Fraud Conspiracy

Two Indian American men from New York have been arrested on charges related to visa fraud, the Department of Justice announced last week. Rambhai Patel, 36, and Balwinder Singh, 39, staged robberies to commit visa fraud, and were charged with one count each of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Patel was arrested in Seattle on Dec. 13, while Singh was arrested in Queens, New York. 

The robberies took place in at least eight convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants across the United States, including at least four in Massachusetts, the DOJ said. 

Immigrant employees allegedly hired the two men to stage the fake holdups so the immigrants could say they were victims of crimes. This would then help bolster their applications for U non-immigration status to stay in the United States. 

The U nonimmigrant status (U visa) 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 the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity,” according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services website. 

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In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the “robber” would “threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing,” the DOJ said, adding that interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling the police to report the “crime.”  The “victims” are alleged to have each paid Patel to participate in the scheme. In turn, Patel allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.

The charge of conspiracy to commit visa fraud provides for a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000.