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A Chicago man allegedly orchestrated hundreds of fake armed robberies across the United States and paid off thousands of people posing as victims to falsify his U visa application eligibility. Ultimately a federal court sentenced him to two years in prison and fined him $50,000.
U has been established to protect foreign victims of certain serious crimes who are willing to assist police investigationsvisa (You visa ), but was used by criminal groups as a tool to obtain legal status.chicago A 29-year-old suburban man suspected of carrying out hundreds of fake armed robberies across the United States asked thousands of people to pay him to pose as crime victims in order to qualify for a U visa. Each man paid from $5,000 to $30,000. The federal court recently sentenced the mastermind to two years in prison and fined him $50,000.
According to information released by the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois, Parth Nai, who lives in Woodridge, a southwestern suburb of Chicago, organized and participated in hundreds of fake robberies at locations including coffee shops, restaurants, liquor stores and gas stations across the United States from 2022 to 2024.
Locations in Chicago and surrounding areas include Lombard, Elmwood Park, St. Charles, Hickory Hills, River Grove, Lake Villa, and South Holland.
Prosecutors said Nye worked with associates to recruit fake victims, pay store owners to borrow locations, arrange for fake robberies, and instruct participants in advance on how to cooperate in the demonstration.
When a mock robbery occurs, the person pretending to be a robber will approach the mock victim with something that looks like a gun and demand money, creating the illusion of being armed.
Later, the fake victim applied for a crime victim certificate from the local police, claiming that he had suffered a crime that qualified for a U visa and had assisted the police in the investigation. After obtaining police certification, he applied for a U visa with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) with the fake robbery experience.
Prosecutors said thousands of fake victims participated in this fraud scheme, each paying a fee of 5,000 yuan to 30,000 yuan for the opportunity to participate in a fake robbery and later apply for a visa.
Ney was convicted of conspiracy to commit visa fraud earlier this year and last week U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland sentenced him to two years in federal prison and a $50,000 fine.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Saqib Mohammed Hussain said in sentencing documents that Nay was the main organizer of the entire criminal scheme and participated in virtually all of the arrangements for hundreds of fraudulent robberies, thereby seriously undermining the federal U visa system, which was originally designed to protect vulnerable crime victims.
The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and other units. Besides Nay, five others have been indicted in the federal investigation.
Summary FAQ
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The mastermind is 29-year-old Parth Nai, who lives in Woodridge, a southwest suburb of Chicago. Prosecutors allege that between 2022 and 2024, he organized and participated in hundreds of fake armed robberies across the United States, and that he led the entire scheme.
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The accomplices first arranged for mock robberies, rented venues and taught performance procedures, and then asked the mock victims to report the crime to the police. After obtaining a crime victim certificate, he applied for a U visa at USCIS and used fictitious robberies to qualify.
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After Ney pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit visa fraud, a federal judge sentenced him to two years in prison and a $50,000 fine. In addition to him, five others have been indicted in the federal investigation, prosecutors said.
