A suburban Chicago man built a business out of staged armed robberies, charging desperate people thousands of dollars to be “robbed” on camera so they could later claim crime-victim status for a U.S. visa.
Quick Take
- Parth Nayi pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud and was sentenced to two years in federal prison plus a $50,000 fine.
- Federal prosecutors say participants paid Nayi between $5,000 and $30,000 each to stage fake robberies at businesses across several states.
- A convenience store clerk in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood was actually shot during one of the staged robberies tied to the scheme.
- Five co-defendants were also charged in the scheme, which prosecutors say ran from 2022 through 2024 at restaurants, gas stations, and liquor stores.
A Scheme Built on Fake Crime Victims
The U-visa program exists to protect real crime victims who help police solve serious cases. Applicants do not need their attacker arrested or convicted. They just need to show they were victimized and cooperated with law enforcement. That lower bar, designed to protect vulnerable people, became the exact weakness Nayi allegedly exploited.
Federal prosecutors say Nayi organized and orchestrated staged armed robberies so people could claim crime-victim status on their visa paperwork. A grand jury indictment unsealed in May 2024 named Nayi alongside five co-defendants: Kewon Young, Bhikhabhai Patel, Nilesh Patel, Ravinaben Patel, and Rajnikumar Patel.
Hundreds of Staged Robberies Across State Lines
The alleged fake robberies were not confined to one city block. Investigators tied staged incidents to restaurants, coffee shops, liquor stores, and gas stations in Chicago’s suburbs, plus locations in Rayne, Louisiana, and Belvidere, Tennessee. Prosecutors described a pattern repeated hundreds of times over roughly two years, pointing to coordination rather than a single isolated false claim.
Each staged event reportedly came with a price tag. Prosecutors say people paid Nayi anywhere from $5,000 to $30,000 to take part, money that bought them a fabricated crime report and a path toward applying for legal status. The business model turned fear of deportation into a paid performance, with Nayi cast as the organizer pulling the strings.
The Night a Fake Robbery Turned Real
The staged setup worked, according to prosecutors, until it didn’t. A clerk working in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood was shot during one of the robberies connected to the scheme, according to local reporting. What was supposed to be a scripted, harmless event ended with an actual gunshot wound, turning a fraud case into one with a genuine victim and real bodily harm.
That shooting became a symbol of how quickly staged crime can spiral into something nobody planned. When criminal acts are rehearsed and repeated for profit, the line between performance and real violence gets thin fast. One mistake, one twitchy trigger finger, and a fake robbery stops being fake for the person standing behind the counter.
A Guilty Plea and a Sentence Longer Than Prosecutors Wanted
Nayi pleaded guilty earlier in 2026 to conspiracy to commit visa fraud. U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland sentenced him on October 22, 2026, to two years in federal prison and ordered him to pay a $50,000 fine. Notably, that sentence ran a full year longer than what prosecutors themselves had recommended, a signal the judge viewed the scheme as serious damage to a program meant for genuine victims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois said the case reflects a program that was “significantly corrupted” by people gaming the system for financial gain. Defense attorney George M. Gomez pushed back on parts of the government’s framing, arguing Nayi’s role was limited, that he did not personally prepare fraudulent paperwork, and that he cooperated with investigators after his arrest.
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— M.A. Rothman (@MichaelARothman) October 26, 2026
Why This Case Matters Beyond One Chicago Suburb
Government fraud-detection data shows immigration benefit programs face real integrity challenges nationwide, from marriage fraud investigations to student visa abuse. U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services has flagged thousands of suspect U-visa applications in recent years, a small but real slice of the total filed. This case gives that abstract concern a face, a dollar figure, and an actual gunshot wound.
Legitimate U-visa holders are real victims who risked their safety to help police. Schemes like this one make their path harder by feeding public suspicion onto every applicant, fair or not. Prosecutors clearly wanted this sentence to send a message: turning victimhood into a paid performance carries real prison time, not just a fine and a slap on the wrist.
Sources:
justice.gov, chicagotribune.com, fox32chicago.com, lakemchenryscanner.com, gao.gov, uscis.gov
