Chicago immigration fraud leader sentenced to two years for staging fake robberies
Parth Nayi received a two-year federal prison term for organizing staged armed robberies that migrants used to obtain U-visas.
A Chicago resident, Parth Nayi, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Mary M. Rowland to two years in federal prison and a $50,000 fine after admitting to a conspiracy to commit visa fraud. Between 2022 and 2024, Nayi orchestrated dozens of fake armed robberies at restaurants, convenience stores and gas stations, recruiting primarily Latin and South American migrants who paid him as much as $10,000 to use the police reports to apply for U-visas.
The scheme often involved store employees who helped stage the crimes, ensuring no real injuries occurred, although a 2023 robbery went wrong when a gun discharged and struck a clerk in the stomach; the victim survived. Federal authorities identified 17 specific incidents tied to Nayi and convicted five additional participants. Similar investigations are now underway in Massachusetts, Kentucky, Ohio and Missouri, with links to extended Patel family networks. A recent Center for Immigration Studies report noted that hundreds of thousands of U-visa petitions are filed annually, far exceeding the program’s intended limit of 10,000.
