A group of individuals, including Bhikhabhai Patel, Nilesh Patel, Ravinaben Patel, and Rajnikumar Patel, has been accused of orchestrating fake robberies at several restaurants and businesses around Chicago. Their motive was to help the “victims” become eligible for U-Visas, which are designated for individuals who have been victims of specific crimes.
According to federal court documents, the Patels are alleged to have paid Parth Nayi and Kewon Young to stage the robberies, with the Patels acting as victims. These staged incidents were intended to support their fraudulent applications for nonimmigrant U-Visas, which provide temporary legal status to crime victims.
The indictment claims that the Patels paid Nayi thousands of dollars to coordinate the scheme. Nayi and Young then recruited others to pose as robbers, who would confront the Patels, brandishing objects made to resemble firearms and demanding money and property.
In some cases, the “robbers” even struck the Patels to make the staged robberies appear genuine. The robbers would then flee the scene with stolen items. Following these incidents, the “victims” submitted forms to local police departments, seeking certification that they had been victims of a qualifying crime. This certification was then used to file fraudulent U-Visa applications with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The staged robberies took place between 2022 and 2023 at locations in Chicago and its suburbs, including Lombard, Elmwood Park, St. Charles, Hickory Hills, River Grove, Lake Villa, and South Holland. Similar incidents were reported in Rayne, Louisiana, and Belvidere, Tennessee.
If convicted, the Patels, Nayi, and Young face conspiracy charges punishable by up to five years in federal prison. Ravinaben Patel also faces an additional charge of making a false statement in a visa application, which carries a penalty of up to 10 years.