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A new scandal has rocked the White House involving illegal aliens hiring fake robbers to attack them so they can get a special asylum visa.
Six individuals have been charged in a scam in which crimes were staged so that the migrants could apply for special asylum visas, CWB Chicago reported.
“Officials believe hundreds of people, including some who traveled from out of town, posed as customers in dozens of businesses across Chicago and elsewhere, all hoping to win favorable immigration status by becoming ‘victims’ of pre-arranged ‘armed robberies,’” the report said.
“During a staged hold-up in Bucktown last year, one of the ‘robbers’ accidentally fired their gun, severely injuring a liquor store clerk, according to one source. During that caper alone, five ‘customers’ were ‘robbed,’” it said.
The indictment named Bhikhabhai Patel, 51, of Elizabethtown, Kentucky; Nilesh Patel, 32, of Jackson, Tennessee; Ravinaben Patel, 23, of Racine, Wisconsin; and Rajkumar Patel, 32, of Jacksonville, Florida, as suspects who portrayed themselves as victims.
During one of the fake robberies, one of the robbers appeared to have accidentally shot a real gun and injured a liquor store clerk as others in the store were robbed.
Then the fake victims gave forms to the police department to certify that they had been cooperative with the investigation.
And the final part of the scam came when the fake victims filed fraudulent U-visa applications.
That visa is reserved for “victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse and are helpful to law enforcement or government officials in an investigation or prosecution.”
CWB Chicago reported.
A source stated that hundreds of additional “victims” involved in the “robberies,” many from out of state, are unlikely to face federal charges. They said officials had identified more than 100 people who “benefitted” from being robbed, with most being of Latin and South American origin.
The federal complaint identified 17 specific “robberies” for charging purposes:
- October 6, 2022, at Fas Fuel in Lombard
- December 6, 2022, at a Subway restaurant in Chicago
- December 17, 2022, at a Subway restaurant in Elmwood Park
- December 30, 2022, at Tropical Smoothie in St. Charles
- January 10, 2023, at a Dunkin’ in Chicago. Bhikhabhai Patel was “robbed” here, officials said.
- January 11, 2023, at a BP in Hickory Hills
- January 12, 2023, at a Dunkin’ in Niles. Nilesh Patel and Ravinaben Patel were “robbed” here.
- January 25, 2023, at Max’s Food and Liquor in River Grove
- January 26, 2023, at Lake Villa Liquors in Lake Villa
- February 8, 2023, at a Dunkin’ in South Holland. Rajnikumar Patel was allegedly “robbed”
- February 23, 2023, at a Dunkin’ in Chicago
- February 28, 2023, at a Dunkin’ in Chicago
- May 13, 2023, at a Subway in Rayne, Louisiana
- May 30, 2023, at Trolley Rock Truck Stop in Belvidere, Tennessee
- July 13, 2023, at Bucktown Food & Liquor in Chicago
- January 9, 2024, at a 7-Eleven in Chicago
And this is not the first time this scam has been attempted, with a case in April ending with the death of one of the fake robbers, Fox News reported.
“Court documents reviewed by Fox News Digital indicate 22-year-old Rasshauud Scott had coordinated the fake robbery with another man named William Winfrey. Police later found telegram messages between the two,” the report said.
“Police said that Scott and Winfrey staged similar robberies going back to 2023, with the most recent being the night before Scott was killed,” it said.
But things became tragic for Scott on Jan. 27 when a bystander, Jesus Vargas, shot and killed him believing he was defending an innocent victim.
Vargas informed police that he fled the scene because he was in violation of his parole by having a gun.
When interviewed by police, one of the fake victims “confirmed that the robbery was in fact a set-up, and the purpose of the scheme is to obtain a U-visa,” an affidavit said.
“He didn’t deserve what happened to him at all. He was making a dumb decision. I’m not defending him, of course, but he didn’t deserve to die,” Scott’s fiancée, Sade Beverly said to Fox 26.
“Somebody still lost a life at the end of the day. Have some decorum,” she said. “It would have eventually caught up to him, and he would have had to learn the hard way. He just took him out. He didn’t get the chance to fix his mistakes.”
