Indian man, 37, who staged armed robberies to aid immigration fraud pleads guilty in US | Here's how he did it

A 37-year-old Indian national living in the United States has pleaded guilty to staging armed robberies at retail stores across several American states to help individuals fraudulently obtain US immigration benefits.

Rambhai Patel, a resident of New York, entered a guilty plea on Tuesday before US District Judge Myong J Joun in Boston to one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Sentencing has been scheduled for August 20, news agency PTI reported.

Patel's modus operandi

According to US federal prosecutors, Patel and a co-conspirator carried out at least nine staged robberies at convenience stores and restaurants—five of them in Massachusetts—beginning in March 2023.

The purpose was to fabricate violent crime scenarios so that store clerks or owners could apply for U nonimmigrant status (U Visa), a special visa granted to victims of serious crimes who assist law enforcement.

Surveillance footage showed a fake robber brandishing a weapon, stealing cash, and fleeing the scene. The “victims,” who had paid Patel large sums—up to $20,000 in one case—would then wait before reporting the incident to police. Patel in turn paid store owners for access to the premises.

At least two individuals submitted U visa applications based on these staged incidents. Patel was charged in December 2023. His co-conspirator, identified as Singh, is expected to plead guilty on May 22.

The charge carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $50,000. Patel also faces deportation after completing his sentence.

The case was investigated by the FBI and US immigration authorities with assistance from multiple law enforcement agencies in Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Tennessee.

Texas man executed by lethal injection

A man who pleaded guilty to killing a convenience store worker by setting her on fire was put to death in Texas on Tuesday in the second of three executions to be carried out in the United States this week.

Matthew Johnson, 49, was executed by lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary in Huntsville, an AFP report said.

Johnson was sentenced to death for the 2012 murder of Nancy Harris, a 76-year-old grandmother.

He admitted at trial to pouring lighter fluid on Harris and setting her alight during an early morning robbery of a store in Garland, Texas.

Harris suffered severe burns and was taken off life support five days later, the report added.

In his final statement, Johnson thanked God and asked for forgiveness from the victim's family, saying “I never meant to hurt her.”