Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel, a South Carolina convenience store owner, pleaded guilty to conspiring to stage a robbery at his own shop to help an Indian clerk obtain a U visa. The staged incident took place on March 9, 2025, while the clerk was in deportation proceedings; investigators later concluded the event was fabricated. Patel faces up to 10 years in prison, fines and supervised release, and the clerk has been deported to India. The case is part of a wider federal effort to crack down on immigration fraud.
South Carolina Store Owner Pleads Guilty After Staging Robbery To Help Clerk Obtain U Visa; Clerk Deported
Stock photo: a Permanent Resident Card, also known as a green card, is seen on a white backdrop in Las Vegas, August 30, 2016.
A Columbia convenience store owner has admitted in federal court that he staged a robbery at his own shop to make an Indian clerk appear to be a victim and bolster the clerk's bid for immigration status that could lead to a green card.
Who: Birenkumar Rameshbhai Patel, 47, of Columbia, S.C., pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge related to submitting false statements in support of a U visa application, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of South Carolina said.
What happened: According to court filings, on March 9, 2025, Patel covered his face, put on a long-sleeved jacket and pretended to rob a clerk at his Fairfield County convenience store while someone called 911. Responding officers viewed surveillance footage that appeared to show a robbery and the clerk was taken to a hospital.
Investigators later determined the incident had been staged to create evidence that the clerk was a victim of a qualifying crime. Federal prosecutors say the scheme was designed to support a U visa application, a form of immigration relief available to certain crime victims who assist law enforcement and which can lead to permanent residency.
Timeline and evidence-gathering: Court records say the clerk had entered the United States illegally on September 18, 2024, and was in deportation proceedings when the staged event occurred. The clerk — identified in filings only as "C1" — had a hearing scheduled for March 13, 2025, four days after the staged robbery.
After the incident, Patel made an unsolicited donation to the Fairfield County Sheriff's "Christmas party" on March 24. On March 25, Patel and the clerk requested a copy of the incident report. On April 3, they submitted paperwork asking the sheriff's office to certify that the clerk had been the victim of a "felonious assault," a type of certification that can support a U visa application.
On April 22, Patel asked investigators to speak with an individual identified as "Sam" who, according to court records, told officers to include details in the report that the clerk had seen a gun barrel, had been struck in the back of the head and had been injured.
Charges and next steps: Patel pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to submit materially false statements in connection with a U visa application on September 24. The court found him competent to plead and accepted the plea. He remains free on a $25,000 unsecured bond as sentencing is deferred pending a U.S. Probation Office report.
Patel faces a statutory maximum of 10 years in federal prison, a fine of up to $250,000, possible restitution and up to three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Joseph A. Anderson Jr. will impose sentence after reviewing the probation office's recommendation.
Broader context: The Department of Justice said the clerk has since been deported to India. The case comes amid increased federal scrutiny of immigration fraud; the DOJ has pursued a surge of denaturalization actions and other fraud investigations in recent months. Separately, prosecutors charged 11 Indian nationals in March with allegedly conspiring to arrange staged armed robberies to support fraudulent U visa applications.
Contact: Newsweek has contacted Patel's attorney, the Fairfield County Sheriff's Department and the DOJ for comment and is awaiting responses.
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