Indian-origin businessman charged with committing visa fraud in US

An Indian-origin businessman and four US law enforcement officials, including three police chiefs, were charged with committing visa fraud in Louisiana.

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Chandrakant Patel, a resident of Oakdale, along with Chad Doyle, Glynn Dixon, Tebo Onishea, and Michael Slaney, a city marshal, was indicted in Lafayette on Wednesday.

They were charged for creating false crime reports to support visa claims of immigrants under the US government’s U visa programme, according to a court document.

“The U nonimmigrant status (U visa) is set aside for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse,” according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) website.

Immigrants contacted 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 document said.

Patel would ask his co-conspirators to write false police reports after charging immigrants thousands of dollars.

Patel is the owner of two stores in Louisiana, one in Glenmore and another in Oakdale. He also operated a fast-food restaurant franchise in Oakdale.

Patel was himself granted a U-Visa in 2023, based on his alleged status as a victim of armed robbery.

The case is being investigated and prosecuted by a Homeland Security Task Force established by President Trump as part of Operation Take Back America, the USCIS said in a press release.