Two New York City men carried out armed robberies at convenience stores and fast-food outlets across the United States for an immigration benefit scheme, federal prosecutors said Friday.
Rambhai Patel, 36, and Balwinder Singh, 39, were arrested on December 13 and both charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud for their alleged plot, which allowed their robbery “victims” to apply for special immigration visas, Massachusetts prosecutors said.
According to federal prosecutors, Patel and Singh masterminded “at least eight” of the alleged staged robberies – which involved a “robber” threatening a store clerk with an apparent firearm before grabbing cash from the register in front of a store’s surveillance cameras.
The scheme, which began in March 2023, had store clerks wait five or more minutes for the robber to flee before calling police to report the crime, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Patel and Singh staged a fake armed robbery to make the store clerk eligible for a special “U visa” that allows immigrant crime victims to stay in the country for four years. Hingham Police
The alleged robbery “victims” each paid Patel to take part in the fake antics — while Patel paid store owners to use their stores for staged robberies, according to prosecutors.
The purpose of the staged robbery is to allow store clerks to apply for a special “U visa” – which allows immigrants who have been mentally or physically abused and help prosecute criminals to stay in the country for four years.
The alleged robbery “victims” paid Patel to fake the theft, who in turn paid the clerk to use their store for the scheme. Hingham Police
Singh, who was arrested in Queens, appeared before a judge in Boston federal court — while Patel, who was arrested in Seattle and ordered held pending trial, is expected to face federal prosecutors in Boston at a later date, according to prosecutors.
If convicted, both defendants face up to five years in prison and up to $250,000 in fines.
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
