NRI PULSE STAFF REPORT
Boston, MA, July 30, 2026 — An Indian national has been sentenced to one day in prison and ordered removed from the United States after admitting his role in a visa fraud conspiracy that allegedly used staged armed robberies to obtain immigration benefits reserved for crime victims.
Mitul Patel, 40, who was living unlawfully in Worcester, Massachusetts, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Myong J. Joun to time served—equivalent to one day in prison—along with a $1,000 fine and an order of removal from the United States after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts, Patel participated in a scheme to fraudulently obtain a U visa, a form of immigration relief available to victims of certain serious crimes who assist law enforcement in investigating or prosecuting those offenses.
Federal prosecutors alleged that Patel paid the organizer of the scheme, identified as Rambhai Patel, to pose as the victim of a fake armed robbery at a convenience store in Worcester in October 2023. Authorities said the staged incident was intended to create evidence that could later be used to support a fraudulent U visa application.
The case forms part of a broader federal investigation into an alleged conspiracy that staged at least six fake armed robberies across Massachusetts and other locations beginning in March 2023.
According to court documents, participants posing as armed robbers entered convenience stores, liquor stores, and fast-food restaurants carrying what appeared to be firearms, threatened employees, stole cash from registers, and fled the scene. The fake victims allegedly delayed calling police to make the incidents appear genuine, while surveillance footage captured the robberies to strengthen future immigration claims.
Prosecutors say the humanitarian U visa program was exploited by individuals seeking lawful immigration status through fabricated crimes. The visa is designed to protect victims of qualifying criminal activity who have suffered substantial mental or physical abuse and are willing to cooperate with law enforcement.
Patel pleaded guilty in May 2026. Although conspiracy to commit visa fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of five years, federal sentencing guidelines take into account factors such as a defendant’s role in the offense, acceptance of responsibility, and criminal history. The Justice Department did not explain the basis for the one-day custodial sentence.
The investigation remains part of a wider crackdown on the alleged conspiracy. In March 2026, federal prosecutors charged 11 Indian nationals in connection with the scheme, alleging that some defendants arranged staged robberies or paid to have themselves or relatives falsely identified as crime victims to obtain immigration benefits. Prosecutors have previously secured convictions against the alleged organizer, the individual who carried out the fake robberies, and the getaway driver.
Federal authorities said the case underscores efforts to protect the integrity of the U visa program, which was created to provide relief to genuine victims of violent crime rather than individuals seeking to exploit the immigration system through fraud.
