4 Indians in US charged for staging robberies to commit visa fraud

NEW DELHI: Four Indian nationals on Friday were indicted by a federal court in Chicago for committing armed robberies in the city and surrounding areas for the purposes of helping the victims receive "U-Visa", reserved for certain crime in the US.
The federal court in Chicago indicted six people out of which four were Indian nationals.
According to media reports, the four individuals, Bhikhabhai Patel, Nilesh Patel, Ravinaben Patel and Rajni Kumar Patel, arranged with Parth Nayi and Kewong Young to be "victims' of staged robberies so that they could submit applications for U nonimmigrant status ("U-visa"), according to the indictment report.
The U-Visa is designated and allotted for individuals who have been victims of specific crimes, experienced mental or physical abuse, and have assisted law enforcement or government authorities in investigations or prosecutions.
The indictment alleges that four individuals paid Nayi thousands of dollars to take part in the scam.
During the staged robberies, individuals pretending to be robbers reportedly displayed firearms and approached the supposed victims and asked for money and belongings, as mentioned in the indictment.
Afterwards, some of the alleged victims filled out forms for the local authorities. The forms were to certify them as victims of a specific crime and confirm their cooperation in the investigation, as mentioned in the indictment.
Upon receiving certification, some of the purported victims submitted fraudulent U-visa applications to US Citizenship and Immigration Services. This was based on their alleged status as a robbery victim, according to media reports that cited the US department of justice.
Nayi, aged 26, Young, aged 31, Bhikhabhai Patel, aged 51, Nilesh Patel, aged 32, Ravinaben Patel, aged 23, and Rajnikumar Patel, aged 32, have been accused of conspiring to commit visa fraud.
Ravinaben Patel is facing charges for making a false statement in a visa application. The conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in federal prison. The false statement charge against Ravinaben Patel, on the other hand, carries a maximum sentence of up to ten years.
(with input from agencies)