Fake Robberies, Real Visas: The Immigration Scheme That Turned Bloody

A group of foreign scammers faked hundreds of robberies across the country in a complicated scheme to obtain visas for thousands of people to secure legal residency in the United States.

The scheme entailed the conspirators staging robberies at fast food restaurants and gas stations so the purported victims of the crimes could apply for a special visa granted to victims who aid law enforcement. There were thousands of “victims” who participated in the scheme and one of the staged robberies turned violent when a convenience store worker was shot, according to the Justice Department. 

A federal judge sentenced 29-year-old Parth Nayi, one of the plot’s orchestrators, to two years in prison last Thursday after he pled guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Nayi, identified as a resident of Woodridge, Illinois, was also ordered to pay a $50,000 fine. 

“Thousands of individuals who posed as victims each paid Nayi $5,000 to $30,000 to participate in the scam so that they could later apply for Nonimmigrant U-Visas, which are set aside for foreign nationals who are victims of certain crimes and are helpful to law enforcement in the investigation,” the Justice Department said. 

The Department of Homeland Security describes a U-Visa as being 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.” The visa is applicable for four years and can be parlayed into an application for a green card or residency for family members. 

The staged robberies took place at multiple locations, including Subway and Dunkin’ in the Chicago area. Another incident was staged at a Subway location in Rayne, Louisiana, and a truck stop in Belvidere, Tennessee, according to court documents. The incidents occurred between July 2022 and January 2024.

A July 2023 “robbery” at Bucktown Food & Liquor in Chicago turned violent when an attendant was shot by one of the “robbers” in the abdomen, CWB Chicago reported. The attendant survived the shooting, but there were five other phony victims targeted during the incident. 

Nayi carried out the scheme with the help of Kewon Young, another man who pleaded guilty earlier this year to conspiracy charges. Both men recruited individuals to rob the purported victims. 

“It was further part of the conspiracy that, during the staged robberies, individuals acting as robbers brandished what appeared to be firearms and approached individuals acting as victims, demanding money and property. At the direction of NAYI and YOUNG, the individuals acting as robbers, on certain occasions, struck purported victims to make the staged robbery appear real,” prosecutors wrote in the indictment against the men. 

Among the individuals seeking U-Visas were Bhikhabhai Patel, Nilesh Patel, Ravinaben Patel, and Rajnikumar Patel. Bhikhabai, Nilesh, and Ravinaben all pled guilty to their participation in the scheme while a jury found Rajnikumar guilty, court records show. 

The Trump administration has aggressively targeted visa fraud, with a focus on H-1B fraud across the country.

More from this network:
Domains for Sale · GOTPeople.org · TheDSAPlatform · The Truth About Socialism

Donate to GOTPeople.org