BOSTON – Rambhai Patel, an Indian national unlawfully residing in New York, has been handed a 20-month sentence for orchestrating a series of staged armed robberies as part of a visa fraud conspiracy. The sentence, handed down by U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun, includes two years of supervised release and the forfeiture of $850,000.
The defendant, aged 38, pleaded guilty in May 2025 to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. His co-conspirator, Balwinder Singh, also pleaded guilty in the same month and is set for sentencing on September 24, 2025.
Patel and Singh began their scheme in March 2023, setting up and executing at least 18 staged armed robberies across the United States. The locations included convenience stores and fast-food restaurants, with five of these crimes occurring in Massachusetts. The intent was to allow store clerks to claim they were victims of a violent crime on applications for U nonimmigrant status (U Visa).
In these orchestrated incidents, Patel would threaten store clerks or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing. The store owners would then wait for several minutes before reporting the ‘crime’ to police, using store surveillance video as evidence of the violent crime. Patel paid victims to participate in this scheme, earning approximately $850,000, which he is now required to forfeit.
At least two co-conspirators submitted U Visa applications based on their participation as victims in these staged robberies. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving multiple federal agencies and local law enforcement bodies, including the FBI, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, Massachusetts State Police, and several police departments across the country.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, announced the sentence. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto are prosecuting the case.
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Key Facts
- State: Massachusetts
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Drug Trafficking|Fraud & Financial Crimes|Violent Crime|Public Corruption|Organized Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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