Crime & Safety
Worcester Man Pleads Guilty In Visa Fraud Scheme Using Staged Robberies
Federal prosecutors said he paid to participate as a victim in a staged armed robbery designed to support a fraudulent U visa application.
WORCESTER, MA — A Worcester man pleaded guilty to visa fraud conspiracy.
Mutyl Patel, 40, an Indian national living in Worcester, pleaded guilty in connection with a conspiracy to conduct staged armed robberies of convenience stores to allow store clerks to falsely claim they were crime victims on immigration applications, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Massachusetts.
He was among 11 people charged in March in connection with the scheme, according to the USAO.
Federal prosecutors said the conspiracy began in March 2023 when organizer Rambhai Patel and others arranged staged armed robberies at convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants in Massachusetts and other locations.
Authorities allege the fake robberies were designed to help store clerks and employees fraudulently qualify for U visas, a form of immigration relief available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and have assisted law enforcement in investigating or prosecuting criminal activity.
According to court documents, a participant posing as a robber would enter a business, threaten clerks or owners with what appeared to be a firearm, take cash from the register and flee. The incidents were allegedly recorded by store surveillance cameras.
Prosecutors said the supposed victims would then wait at least five minutes before contacting police, allowing the robber time to escape and making the incidents appear legitimate.
Investigators said participants paid Rambhai Patel to take part as victims in the staged crimes. Rambhai Patel allegedly paid store owners to allow their businesses to be used in the scheme.
Federal authorities said Mitul Patel paid Rambhai Patel so he could participate as a victim in a staged armed robbery at a Worcester store in October 2023.
The suspected organizer, Rambhai Patel, along with the man who carried out the robberies and the getaway driver, Balwinder Singh, were previously charged and convicted in May 2025.
Sentencing for Mitul Patel is scheduled for July 29, and he faces a sentence of up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000.
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