Indian man pleads guilty to faking a robbery to get a store clerk his U visa in South Carolina.
On March 25, 2025, Patel and the clerk requested a copy of the incident report as that is a necessary document for the visa application. On April 3, 2025, Patel and/or the clerk mailed a federal certification to the Fairfield County Sheriff’s Department requesting that the head of that department sign a form acknowledging that the clerk was the victim of a “felonious assault. Patel faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison. He also faces a fine of up to $250,000, restitution, three years of supervision to follow the term of imprisonment, the department said.
The clerk was deported to India, it said. Officials determined that the store clerk was a citizen of India and that a U Visa would have allowed him to remain in the US legally. United States District Judge Joseph A. Anderson, Jr. accepted the guilty plea and will sentence Patel after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the US Probation Office.
Officers reviewed surveillance video of the event, which appeared to show a robbery, but further review showed that the robbery was staged to make it appear that the store clerk was the victim.
A U Visa is a temporary US immigration status that is reserved for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and have been helpful to law enforcement or government officials in the investigation or prosecution of criminal activity. The U Visa provides a path to a Green Card and eventually US citizenship.