US: Indian-origin man charged with fraud

The Indian national was identified as Chandrakant Patel.

USCIS fraud detection officers uncovered a pattern of inconsistencies among U visa applications, spurring a multi-agency federal investigation.

"The 62-count indictment describes the defendants’ and others’ more than nine-and-a-half-year alleged scheme to author, facilitate, produce and authenticate false police reports of purported armed robberies in the central Louisiana area," read a statement issued by the US Citizenship and Immigration Services.

The indictment alleges the defendants produced false police reports so that the aliens who were supposedly victims of the robberies could apply for U visas.

Patel, Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onishea conspired together to commit visa fraud, namely a nonimmigrant U visa, which defendants knew to be procured by means of false claims and statements and otherwise procured by fraud and unlawfully obtained by the defendants.

If convicted, the defendants each face a sentence of up to five years in prison on the conspiracy charge; up to 10 years on the visa fraud charges; and up to 20 years on the mail fraud charge. Patel faces up to 10 years on the bribery charge. In addition, they could be ordered to pay a fine of up to $250,000 on each count.

The indictment alleges that as part of this conspiracy to defraud the government, aliens seeking U visas would contact Patel, or another facilitator who would then contact Patel, to be named as “victims” in police reports alleging that an armed robbery had occurred, so that they could apply for U visas.

The indictment also alleges that aliens paid Patel thousands of dollars to participate, and in exchange, Patel would ask his co-conspirators, including Doyle, Slaney, Dixon, and Onishea, to write false police reports naming the aliens as victims of alleged armed robberies and provide certification and attestation of USCIS Form I-918B supporting documents as representatives of their respective law enforcement agencies.

The indictment also alleges that Patel corruptly gave, offered, and agreed to pay an agent of the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office the sum of $5,000 on Feb. 18, 2025, intending to influence and reward that agent in exchange for a fraudulent police report from the Rapides Parish Sheriff’s Office.