Birenkumar Patel pleaded guilty to conspiring to submit false statements. The Indian employee the scheme was intended to help was deported.
A South Carolina convenience-store owner has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy after staging a robbery to help an Indian employee seek immigration relief. The Justice Department said Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel, 47, covered his face and pretended to rob the worker at his Fairfield County store on March 9, 2025. Police responded to a 911 call, reviewed security footage and took the employee to hospital. Investigators later found the robbery was fabricated. The worker was subsequently deported.
Prosecutors said the plan was intended to create grounds for a U visa, which can provide temporary immigration status and work authorisation to certain crime victims who cooperate with law enforcement. The employee had entered the United States unlawfully on September 18, 2024, and faced a removal hearing scheduled four days after the staged incident.
Authorities said Patel sought police certification that the worker had suffered a serious assault. Investigators said he made an unsolicited donation to the Fairfield County sheriff’s Christmas party and requested the police report. A third party later asked investigators to add false details, including that the worker had seen a weapon and been struck on the head.
Patel pleaded guilty on September 24. He faces up to 10 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and up to three years of supervised release.