Two New York City men carried out armed robberies at convenience stores and fast food outlets across the United States to scheme for immigration benefits, 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 “victims” of their robberies apply for special immigration visas. Massachusetts prosecutors said.
According to federal prosecutors, Patel and Singh orchestrated “at least eight” of the alleged staged robberies, in which a “thief” threatened a store employee with an apparent firearm before stealing cash from the register. in front of a store surveillance camera.
The scheme, which began in March 2023, had store employees wait five minutes or more for the shoplifter to escape before calling police to report the crime, prosecutors said.
Prosecutors said Patel and Singh staged fake armed robberies to make store employees eligible for a special “U visa” that allows immigrant victims of crime to stay in the country for four years. hingham police
Each of the “victims” of the alleged robberies paid Patel to participate in the fake shenanigans, while Patel paid the store owners to use their stores for the staged robberies, according to prosecutors.
The purpose of the mock robberies was to allow store employees to apply for a special “U visa,” which allows immigrants who have suffered physical or mental abuse and helps prosecute criminals to remain in the country for four years.
The “victims” of the alleged robberies allegedly paid Patel to fake the robberies, who in turn paid the clerks to use his stores for the scheme. hingham police
Singh, who was arrested in Queens, appeared before a judge in federal court in Boston, while Patel, who was arrested in Seattle and ordered detained pending trial, is expected to face federal prosecutors in Boston in a later date, according to prosecutors.
If convicted, both defendants face up to five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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Source: vtt.edu.vn