NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
CLEVELAND, Tenn., May 8, 2026: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has taken into custody an Indian national convicted in a Tennessee theft case involving more than $60,000, federal authorities said.
According to ICE, Rinkeshkumar Kaushikbhai Patel was arrested by immigration officers after completing part of a prison sentence in Bradley County, Tennessee. ICE said Patel had been convicted of conspiracy to commit larceny in connection with a theft case in which authorities said more than $60,000 was stolen.
Federal officials said Patel was originally sentenced to six years in prison. However, the sentence was suspended after he served just under one year in custody. ICE officers later took him into custody from the Bradley County Jail, where he had been held following the criminal proceedings.
ICE said Patel will remain in federal custody pending removal proceedings before an immigration judge. The agency did not immediately release additional details about Patel’s immigration history or when he entered the United States.
The arrest was part of a broader enforcement operation announced by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Department of Homeland Security targeting undocumented immigrants with criminal convictions.
Local reports from Bradley County last year linked Patel to a fraud investigation involving a larger scam network, though ICE’s official statement specifically cited the theft conviction involving more than $60,000.
