US court sentences Indian national for visa fraud, orders deportation

Mitul Patel, a 40-year-old Indian national from Worcester, Massachusetts, was sentenced by a US District Court judge in Boston.

He pleaded guilty to visa fraud and staging armed robberies of convenience stores to allow clerks to falsely claim victim status on U Visa applications.

The court sentenced Patel to one day in prison, a USD 1,000 fine, and ordered his deportation.

Patel paid Rambhai Patel to participate as a 'victim' in a staged armed robbery in Worcester in October 2023.

The scheme involved at least six staged robberies in Massachusetts; Rambhai Patel and Balwinder Singh were previously convicted in May 2025.