In yet another sign that U.S. immigration policy permits Americans to be played for suckers, a federal grand jury has charged six people with staging fake robberies, after which the fake victims applied for special visas to stay in the United States.
The 18-month conspiracy’s purpose was the procurement of U visas, a special category for “victims of criminal activity.”
The announcement comes a month after a fake robbery for a U visa ended in the death of the fake robber. Thinking he was witnessing a real crime, a passerby shot and killed him.
The Indictment
The suspects were indicted in the Northern District of Illinois.
Their mission: Get the U visas for fake crime victims, pursuant, the indictment notes, to a federal law passed in 2000.
Explains U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services:
Congress created the U nonimmigrant visa with the passage of the Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act (including the Battered Immigrant Women’s Protection Act) in October 2000. The legislation was intended to strengthen the ability of law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute cases of domestic violence, sexual assault, trafficking of noncitizens and other crimes, while also protecting victims of crimes who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse due to the crime and are willing to help law enforcement authorities in the investigation or prosecution of the criminal activity. The legislation also helps law enforcement agencies to better serve victims of crimes.
And it also provides an incentive for Indian criminals to stage robberies and create even more illegal immigration to the United States.
Parth Nayi and Kewon Young, the indictment alleges, “organized, executed, and participated in staged armed robberies of stores across the United States.”
Continued the indictment:
BHIKHABHAI PATEL, NILESH PATEL, RAVINABEN PATEL, and RAJNIKUMAR PATEL, contacted NAYI to be “victims” of staged robberies so that they could submit applications for U Visas. Individuals paid NAYI thousands of dollars to participate, and in exchange, NAYI directed those individuals to the location of a planned staged robbery on a particular day and time.
It was further part of the conspiracy that NAYI and YOUNG recruited individuals to pose as robbers during the staged robberies and provided directions to those individuals.
The fake robbers “brandished what appeared to be firearms” during the fake robberies, and sometimes beat the victims to make the phony crimes “appear real.” The fakers also took property from the fake victims before fleeing the scenes of the crimes, the indictment alleges.
The scheme ran from July 2022 until January 2024, and involved staged robberies at Subway, Dunkin’ Donuts, and other locations, including a Tropical Smoothie.
The conspiracy was nationwide, with the fake robberies staged in Chicago and other cities in Illinois; Rayne, Louisiana; and Belvedere, Tennessee.
“Nayi, 26, of Woodridge, Ill., Young, 31, of Mansfield, Ohio, Bhikhabhai Patel, 51, of Elizabethtown, Ky., Nilesh Patel, 32, of Jackson, Tenn., Ravinaben Patel, 23, of Racine, Wis., and Rajnikumar Patel, 32, of Jacksonville, Fla., are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud,” prosecutors said:
Ravinaben Patel is also charged with an individual count of making a false statement in a visa application. The conspiracy charge is punishable by a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison, while the false statement charge against Ravinaben Patel is punishable by up to ten years.
Though four suspects have the same Indian surname, the indictment and prosecutors’ statement do not disclose any relationship. Nor do they disclose whether the suspects are citizens or illegal aliens.
Fake U Visa Robbery Ends in Death
The Patel conspirators are lucky. A bystander packing heat wasn’t around to stop the fake robberies.
That wasn’t the case on January 27 a little after 2 a.m., police allege, when 22-year-old Rasshauud Scott wound up dead.
According to Fox News, Scott and William Winfrey, a criminal complaint says, arranged a fake robbery so the “victim” could apply for a U visa.
The evidence is Telegram messages between the two. As well, the complaint says, the two had staged a similar fake robbery the night before, and yet another last year. In both cases, the “victims” applied for and received U visas, Fox 26 Houston reported.
Scott didn’t anticipate the appearance of one Jesus Vargas. When he saw Scott “rob” the victim and attempt to flee, he jumped out of his car and opened fire.
Vargas fled the scene with good reason, Fox 26 Houston continued:
Court documents say that Vargas told the two fake robbery victims to “not tell anyone I was here” and left the scene.
The documents say he later met with police and told them he ran because he is on probation and was afraid. Those on probation are not legally allowed to be in possession of a gun.
Police say the decision to charge Vargas has been sent to a grand jury. No records indicate a decision has been sent back at this point.
As for the “victims,” they claimed they weren’t part of a U visa scam.
Winfrey was charged with murder for his role in Scott’s death.
H/T: Breitbart, Fox 32 Chicago, Fox News,
