Indian-Origin Businessman and U.S. Police Chiefs Charged in Visa Fraud Case

New York, Jul 18 (PTI) An Indian-origin businessman and four U.S. law enforcement officials, which include three police chiefs, face charges of visa fraud in Louisiana.

Chandrakant Patel, living in Oakdale, was indicted in Lafayette on Wednesday alongside Chad Doyle, Glynn Dixon, Tebo Onishea, and Michael Slaney, a city marshal.

These individuals are accused of fabricating crime reports to bolster visa applications for immigrants under the U.S. government's U visa program, as per a court document.

The U nonimmigrant status, known as U visa, is specifically designated for victims of certain crimes who have suffered mental or physical abuse, according to the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

Immigrants reportedly approached Patel with requests to be recognized as victims in police reports claiming incidents such as armed robbery, which would allow them to apply for U visas, the document stated.

Patel allegedly charged immigrants thousands of dollars and enlisted his co-conspirators to draft fraudulent police reports.

He is the proprietor of two stores in Louisiana, located in Glenmore and Oakdale, and also ran a fast-food restaurant franchise in Oakdale.

Remarkably, Patel himself received a U visa in 2023, based on claims of being an armed robbery victim.

The ongoing investigation and prosecution are managed by a Homeland Security Task Force established by President Trump as part of Operation Take Back America, according to the USCIS press release.

(Only the headline of this report may have been reworked by Editorji; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)