Two men from New York City have been handcuffed by the feds, slapped with charges concerning a conniving visa fraud scheme that turned convenience store clerks into faux robbery victims, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. The accused, Rambhai Patel, 36, and Balwinder Singh, 39, face serious time, each hit with a count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, which could lock them away for up to five years.
In a detailed takedown, sources said starting in March 2023, Patel along with his circle of co-conspirators which at times included Singh were busy pulling off staged armed robberies across America's eateries and liquor stores in a bid for immigration benefits. The duo was nabbed on December 13, Patel in Seattle and Singh in Queens, and now they're entangled in a legal showdown, with Singh already facing his sentence in Boston federal court. Patel's encore before the judge is still to come. Their alleged racket had the "victims" forking out cash to get a U Visa, designed to help real victims of violent crimes who've been through hell and worked with police, but in this case, it was all for show.
The duo operated like a well-oiled machine—staging heists with fake guns, intimidating store staff, pocketing cash, and then booking it out the door, all caught on the candid eyes of surveillance cameras. As part of the performance, those in on the scam would cool their heels, waiting over five minutes post-robbery before dialing 911, playing the part of the traumatized crime victim to a tee. Patel is said to have been the one greasing palms, paying store owners to let their businesses be used as the stage for their elaborate acts of deceit.
Both men are now in the hot seat, with the feds dropping the hammer on what could be a full suite of consequences—jail time, supervised release, and a fine hefty enough to make anyone's wallet wince. Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy paired up with Jodi Cohen from the FBI to make the announcement, weaving a network of investigators stretching from New York to Washington, and beyond, showing once again that crime doesn't pay.
