Indian national gets one day prison term, deportation in US U Visa fraud scheme

An Indian national has been sentenced by a US federal court to one day in prison, fined USD 1,000 and ordered to be removed from the United States after pleading guilty to visa fraud linked to staged armed robberies designed to support fraudulent immigration applications.

Mitul Patel, 40, of Worcester, Massachusetts, was sentenced on Wednesday by a US District Court in Boston after admitting his role in a conspiracy that staged armed robberies at convenience stores and restaurants. He pleaded guilty in June 2026 along with 10 others involved in the scheme.

According to court documents, the conspiracy began in March 2023 when organiser Rambhai Patel and his associates arranged fake armed robberies at at least six convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts and other locations.


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The staged incidents were intended to help store clerks falsely claim they were victims of violent crimes while applying for U non-immigrant visas. The visa is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and have assisted law enforcement in investigating or prosecuting criminal activity.

Court documents said Mitul Patel paid Rambhai Patel to act as a "victim" during a staged armed robbery at a Worcester store in October 2023.

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During the fake robberies, a participant posing as the robber allegedly threatened store clerks with what appeared to be a firearm, took cash from the register and fled, while store surveillance cameras recorded the incident. The clerks then waited at least five minutes before reporting the robbery to police.

Investigators alleged that each fake victim paid Rambhai Patel to participate in the scheme, while Rambhai Patel paid store owners to use their premises for the staged robberies.

Rambhai Patel, the alleged organiser, along with the man who acted as the robber and getaway driver Balwinder Singh, was charged earlier and convicted in May 2025.