The US Attorney’s Office announced that Rambhai Patel has been sentenced for conspiracy to commit visa fraud on August 20, 2025. Patel, 37, committed the fraud with his co-conspirator, Balwinder Singh. They were charged in December 2023.
Patel pled guilty to one count of conspiracy in May 2025, after which he was sentenced to serve 20 months and eight days in jail, followed by a 2-year supervised release. He must also pay $85,000, and will be deported upon completing his sentence. Singh has also pleaded guilty; his sentencing is set to be held on September 24, 2025.
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How the Scheme Worked?
The US Attorney’s Office stated that the scheme started in March 2022. Patel and Singh staged robberies at least 18 times, targeting restaurants, liquor stores, and convenience stores across the United States, including five in Massachusetts.
During the stages of robberies, the attacker would threaten the clerks with a firearm and would take cash from the register. After a few minutes, the clerk would call the authorities.
The staged robberies allowed the store clerks to claim that they had been victims of violent crimes and apply for U non-immigrant visas (U Visas). The office explained, “U Visas are granted to victims of some crimes, who suffer mental or physical abuse, and help law enforcement investigate or prosecute criminal activity.”
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Patel was paid to participate and reportedly got $20,000 from a victim. He also compensated store owners for using their locations.
Authorities confirmed that Patel earned a total of $85,000 from the scheme, which must be paid back as a penalty. Two more co-conspirators also applied for a U Visa, claiming they were victims of the staged robberies.
The case comes to the spotlight as US Senator Mike Lee of Utah asked whether the H-1B visa system should be halted due to concerns of fraud.
