- A federal grand jury indicted 10 Indian nationals for staging armed robberies to obtain U-Visas.
- The conspiracy involved fake crimes at businesses across Massachusetts and other states to create fraudulent evidence.
- Defendants face up to five years in prison and certain deportation following any potential criminal sentencing.
(BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS) — A federal grand jury in Boston indicted 10 Indian nationals on April 9, 2026, accusing them of staging armed robberies at stores and restaurants to fraudulently obtain U non-immigrant status.
All 10 defendants share the surname Patel, and prosecutors said they took part in a conspiracy that used fake crimes, police reports and surveillance video to support applications for immigration benefits reserved for crime victims.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, announced the case. In the Department of Justice release, officials said, “The defendants allegedly participated in staged armed robberies so that ‘victims’ could apply for immigration benefits.”
The same release said, “The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.” Federal authorities said U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services provided “pivotal assistance” in identifying fraudulent applications tied to the staged crimes.
The indictment follows charges first brought by criminal complaint in March 2026. Most of the defendants were residing unlawfully in the United States, and two of them, Rameshbhai Patel and Ronakkumar Patel, have since been taken into immigration custody.
Those charged in the indictment are Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, of Marshfield, Massachusetts; Maheshkumar Patel, 36, of Randolph, Massachusetts; and Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, of Quincy, Massachusetts. Dipikaben Patel, 40, who previously resided in Weymouth, Massachusetts, had already been deported to India.
Also indicted were Rameshbhai Patel, 52, of Eubank, Kentucky; Amitabahen Patel, 43, of Plainville, Massachusetts; and Ronakkumar Patel, 28, of Maryland Heights, Missouri. Sangitaben Patel, 36, of Randolph, Massachusetts, Minkesh Patel, 42, of Perrysburg, Ohio, and Sonal Patel, 42, of Perrysburg, Ohio, were also charged.
An 11th person, Mitul Patel of Worcester, Massachusetts, was charged in the initial March complaint but was not included in this grand jury indictment.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy began in March 2023 and centered on Rambhai Patel, whom they identified as the organizer. The scheme allegedly staged “armed robberies” at at least six convenience stores, liquor stores, and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
Under the plan described by authorities, a hired robber would enter a store and threaten clerks with a fake or apparent firearm while surveillance cameras recorded the encounter. The clerks were allegedly in on the scam.
Participants were instructed to wait at least five minutes after the robber fled before calling police, authorities said. That delay, prosecutors alleged, helped ensure the supposed gunman escaped and made the events appear real.
The alleged purpose was to create police reports and video evidence that clerks could later use to seek U non-immigrant status, commonly known as a U-Visa. That status is intended for genuine victims of violent crimes who assist law enforcement.
Authorities said participants paid Rambhai Patel up to $20,000 to be included as a victim in one of the staged robberies. Prosecutors tied those payments to efforts to obtain legal status through fraudulent filings.
The case puts unusual focus on a visa category designed to protect noncitizens who suffer abuse and help investigators. Federal officials said the alleged fraud cut against the purpose of a program meant for vulnerable crime victims.
U non-immigrant status has long been sought by people who report serious crimes and cooperate with police. Authorities in this case said fraudulent claims can undermine trust in a benefit that is already backlogged.
The Justice Department said USCIS played a central role in the investigation by flagging suspect applications. That assistance, officials said, helped investigators connect immigration filings to the staged robberies.
Foley announced the indictment with Docks, and the investigation involved the Justice Department, USCIS and the FBI Boston Division. Information about the case and agency statements appears on the District of Massachusetts page, the USCIS newsroom and the FBI Boston office page.
The charge in the case, conspiracy to commit visa fraud, carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison. It also carries three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
Federal authorities said the defendants would be transferred to ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations after finishing any prison terms. That step reflects the Justice Department’s statement that the defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.
The indictment also comes after earlier convictions tied to the same scheme. In May 2025, Rambhai Patel and Balwinder Singh, identified as the getaway driver, were convicted in the related case.
Rambhai Patel later received a sentence of over 20 months in prison. He was also ordered to forfeit $850,000 in criminal proceeds.
Those earlier convictions gave prosecutors a public record of the wider operation before the new grand jury action. The April 9, 2026 indictment now broadens the case against the group of alleged participants.
Court papers, as described by prosecutors, portray a scheme built on repeated staging rather than a single false claim. At least six businesses were used as settings for the fake robberies in Massachusetts and elsewhere.
That repeated use of stores, clerks and a supposed gunman gave the applications a paper trail, investigators alleged. Police reports and surveillance footage can carry weight in immigration filings, making them useful to anyone trying to fabricate victimization.
The list of defendants shows how far the alleged conspiracy spread beyond Massachusetts. While several lived in towns south of Boston, others were in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio.
Two defendants now sit in immigration custody while the criminal case moves ahead. Rameshbhai Patel of Eubank, Kentucky, and Ronakkumar Patel of Maryland Heights, Missouri, were identified by authorities as being held.
Dipikaben Patel’s status differed from the others because she had already been deported to India. Prosecutors still included her among the 10 people indicted by the Boston grand jury.
The ages of the defendants range from 28 to 52. Several of them lived in the same communities, including Randolph and Perrysburg, according to the indictment details released by federal authorities.
The government has framed the matter as both a criminal fraud case and an immigration enforcement case. That combination explains why prosecutors highlighted prison exposure, supervised release, financial penalties and removal from the country.
For USCIS, the case serves as an example of fraud detection inside a humanitarian visa process. Officials said the agency’s identification of suspect petitions gave investigators evidence that the applications relied on staged crimes.
For the FBI and federal prosecutors, the allegations describe a conspiracy that depended on planning, coordination and repeated deception. The role of a grand jury in Boston was to test that evidence and decide whether formal charges should proceed.
Grand jury indictments are accusations, not findings of guilt. Prosecutors must still prove that the defendants joined the conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
Still, the government has already linked this indictment to a broader pattern established by the earlier case against Rambhai Patel and Balwinder Singh. That connection gives the new charges added weight as authorities press their effort to protect the U-Visa process.
The accusation reaches beyond false paperwork. Prosecutors said the defendants did not simply file misleading forms but staged scenes of armed violence, with fake or apparent firearms, to create the appearance of real victimization.
That distinction lies at the center of the government’s narrative. Officials said the defendants turned a protection meant for people harmed by crime into a tool for securing immigration benefits.
The businesses named in the allegations included convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants. Surveillance systems at those sites allegedly captured the robberies that later formed part of the visa claims.
Authorities said the clerks involved were expected to cooperate with police after the staged crimes. That cooperation, paired with the reports and video, would then support applications for U non-immigrant status.
The Justice Department’s public statements leave little doubt about what comes next if convictions follow. “The defendants are subject to deportation upon completion of any sentence imposed.”
