Indian-Origin Businessman, 3 Police Chiefs Charged With US Visa Fraud

US Visa Fraud: In a case that has rattled law enforcement circles in Louisiana, an Indian-origin businessman and three US police chiefs have been federally charged with orchestrating a visa fraud scheme that exploited a US provision meant to protect crime victims.

Chandrakant “Lala” Patel, who owns two stores and operates a fast-food restaurant, allegedly paid police officials in three Louisiana cities to fabricate armed robbery cases. The goal: to falsely position individuals—many sharing the last name Patel—as victims of violent crimes so they could obtain U visas, which are intended to offer residency to immigrant victims who assist in criminal investigations.

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The US Attorney's Office in Lafayette revealed that Patel paid 5,000 Dollars per person to police officers who created the fake incident reports. In total, at least 25 individuals were falsely listed as crime victims, despite never having been involved in any such incidents.
The grand jury has indicted Patel along with Police Chiefs Chad Doyle of Oakdale, Glynn Dixon of Forest Hill, Tebo Onishea of Glenmora, and Oakdale Marshal Michael Slaney. The chiefs reportedly collaborated with Patel, knowing full well that the so-called cooperating victims were never actually targeted in any crime.

Court documents show that authorities tracked over 230,000 Dollars in transactions and 51,000 Dollars worth of property connected to Patel’s fraudulent activities. In a parallel state-level development, Chad Doyle’s wife, Allison Doyle, was arrested on separate corruption charges, although she has not been implicated in the federal case.

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This isn’t the first time Indian-origin individuals have been involved in U visa scams. Earlier this year, two men — Rambhai Patel and Balwinder Singh — admitted in a Massachusetts court to staging armed robberies across multiple states to help others fraudulently secure U visas. The duo recorded the fake crimes, with participants posing as terrified store employees and calling police only after the “robber” fled the scene. In some cases, victims paid up to 20,000 Dollars for the fraudulent service.