(BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS) — Federal prosecutors charged eleven Indian nationals on Friday with conspiring to commit visa fraud by taking part in staged armed robberies designed to bolster false immigration claims.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley, U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Massachusetts, announced the case and said: “Eleven Indian nationals have been charged in connection with a conspiracy to carry out staged armed robberies of convenience stores for the purpose of allowing store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications.”

All 11 defendants face one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud in a scheme that authorities said used staged armed robberies to support applications for U non-immigration status, also known as a U Visa.

Jitendrakumar Patel, 39, unlawfully residing in Marshfield, Mass., and Maheshkumar Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass., are among those charged. Sanjaykumar Patel, 45, unlawfully residing in Quincy, Mass., also faces the conspiracy count.

Prosecutors also charged Dipikaben Patel, 40, deported to India after unlawfully residing in Weymouth, Mass., along with Rameshbhai Patel, 52, unlawfully residing in Eubank, Ky., and Amitabahen Patel, 43, unlawfully residing in Plainville, Mass.

Ronakkumar Patel, 28, unlawfully residing in Maryland Heights, Mo., is charged alongside Sangitaben Patel, 36, unlawfully residing in Randolph, Mass. Authorities also charged Minkesh Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio, Sonal Patel, 42, unlawfully residing in Perrysburg, Ohio, and Mitul Patel, 40, unlawfully residing in Worcester, Mass.

Jitendrakumar Patel, Maheshkumar Patel, Sanjaykumar Patel, Amitabahen Patel, Sangitaben Patel and Mitul Patel were arrested in Massachusetts and released following an initial appearance in federal court in Boston earlier today.

Rameshbhai Patel, Ronakkumar Patel, Sonal Patel and Minkesh Patel were arrested and made their initial appearances in Kentucky, Missouri and Ohio, and officials said they will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

Charging documents said the alleged conspiracy began in March 2023, when Rambhai Patel and co-conspirators set up and carried out staged armed robberies of at least six convenience/liquor stores and fast food restaurants in Massachusetts and more elsewhere.

Authorities said the alleged aim was to let store clerks claim falsely that they were victims of a violent crime on U-visa applications, turning supposed holdups into a tool of visa fraud.

A U Visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity.

In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the “robber” threatened store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, with the interaction captured on store surveillance video.

After the “robber” left, clerks and/or owners waited five or more minutes until the “robber” had escaped before calling police to report the “crime,” prosecutors alleged.

Authorities said the “victims” each paid Patel to participate in the scheme, and Patel allegedly paid the store owners for the use of their stores for the staged robbery.

Prosecutors said Patel, the “robber,” and the getaway driver were previously charged and convicted, while the 11 defendants charged on Friday either arranged with the organizer to set up each robbery or paid for themselves or a family member to participate as a “victim.”

The staged armed robberies, prosecutors said, relied on the same basic elements: a threat involving an apparent firearm, cash taken from a register, and surveillance video that appeared to corroborate the incident.

Officials did not describe in the announcement how much money changed hands, beyond alleging payments by participants and payments to store owners.

The conspiracy charge carries a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000, prosecutors said.

A federal district court judge will impose any sentence based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes governing sentencing in a criminal case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, joined Foley in announcing the charges.

Authorities credited a wide group of federal and local agencies with what Foley’s office called “valuable assistance” in the investigation, including U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations.

Foley’s office also cited support from the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of New York, the Western District of Washington, the Northern District of Ohio, the Eastern District of Missouri, and the Eastern District of Kentucky.

Investigators drew on FBI field offices beyond Boston, including the FBI’s New York, Seattle, Louisville, Cleveland and St. Louis Field Offices, prosecutors said.

Massachusetts State Police, the Worcester County District Attorney’s Office, and multiple municipal police departments also assisted, according to the announcement.

Those departments included Boston, Dedham, Hingham, Malden, Marshfield, Randolph, Somerville, Weymouth, Worcester, Upper Darby, (Pa.), West Pittston (Pa.), Louisville, (Ky.) and Bean Station (Tenn.) Police Departments.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elianna J. Nuzum and Jessica L. Soto of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case, the U.S. Attorney’s Office said.

The arrests and court appearances on March 13, 2026 marked the latest procedural step in a case that prosecutors tied to alleged conduct dating back to March 2023.

Authorities framed the alleged conduct as an effort to exploit a benefit reserved for people who report serious crimes and assist investigations, with staged episodes intended to resemble violent robberies.

Prosecutors said the details in the charging documents are allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.