CHICAGO — A gritty gang of six suspects has been indicted for staging armed robberies across the Chicagoland area with a sinister twist: to fraudulently obtain U.S. immigration visas, commonly known as U-visas.
The group, led by PARTH NAYI and KEWON YOUNG, allegedly orchestrated numerous staged holdups at local restaurants, coffee shops, liquor stores, and gas stations in Chicago and its suburbs. Their targets included BHIKHABHAI PATEL, NILESH PATEL, RAVINABEN PATEL, and RAJNIKUMAR PATEL, who were purportedly victims of these orchestrated crimes.
According to the federal indictment, the suspects paid Nayi thousands in exchange for his participation. During the staged robberies, individuals posing as robbers brandished firearms, demanding money and property from the purported victims. Following the acts, some of the so-called victims submitted false claims to local law enforcement, seeking certification as crime victims. With such certification, they then applied for U-visas at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Nayi, 26, of Woodridge, Ill., Young, 31, of Mansfield, Ohio, and the Patels from various states are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Ravinaben Patel, 23, of Racine, Wis., faces an additional charge of making a false statement in a visa application. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, while the false statement charge against Ravinaben Patel could lead to up to ten years behind bars.
The investigation was spearheaded by Morris Pasqual, Acting United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, Robert W. “Wes” Wheeler, Jr., Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago Field Office of the FBI, and Sean Fitzgerald, Special Agent-in-Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Chicago.
Remember, an indictment is merely a charge and not proof of guilt. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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