A Florida man remains a fugitive after failing to appear for his federal trial in Chicago, where he faced charges related to a fraudulent scheme to fabricate armed robberies in order to obtain U.S. immigration visas for crime victims. U.S. District Judge Mary Rowland issued an arrest warrant for Rajnikumar Patel, 34, on Wednesday after he did not show up for the third day of his trial at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse.
Patel’s attorney reported no contact with his client, and authorities found no one home during a welfare check at Patel’s most recent address in Rockford, Illinois. Law enforcement officials later traced Patel’s movements using license plate readers and surveillance footage, revealing that he drove a white Toyota Camry with vanity plates south through Indiana, Tennessee, and Alabama on Tuesday after court adjourned.
Despite Patel’s absence, prosecutors requested the trial proceed, and Judge Rowland allowed the jury to continue hearing the case. On Friday, the jury returned a swift verdict, convicting Patel of making a false statement on a visa application. Sentencing has been scheduled for November 30. The count against Patel carries a maximum prison term of 10 years. Patel’s lawyer, Michael Nash, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Patel was one of six individuals indicted in 2024 for orchestrating a scheme involving staged robberies at various locations throughout Chicago and its suburbs, including chain restaurants and retail establishments. The group reportedly paid actors to pose as assailants who would commit fake armed robberies to qualify as victims under the U nonimmigrant status (U-visa) program. This visa category is designed to protect victims of certain crimes who assist law enforcement and was created under a 2000 anti-trafficking law.
According to prosecutors, the staged incidents involved actors brandishing what appeared to be real firearms, and in some cases, physically assaulting the victims to enhance the appearance of authenticity. The fabricated crimes were reported to local police, and some participants, including Patel, sought certifications confirming they were victims of qualifying crimes who had assisted in investigations.
Evidence presented during Patel’s trial detailed his involvement in a fake robbery at a Dunkin’ Donuts in South Holland, Illinois, on February 8, 2023. Prior to the staged event, Patel met with the conspiracy’s ringleader, Parth Nayi, and others at a gas station in nearby Hickory Hills to coordinate the plan. Nayi, who pleaded guilty earlier this year, instructed participants on how the robbery should be carried out, including advising the fabricated victims to leave identification and personal items out of their wallets so they could be forcibly taken.
Patel specifically requested to be “roughed up” during the robbery to lend credibility to the incident and asked for the actors to strike him to the floor. Security footage from the Dunkin’ Donuts showed three individuals dressed in black and wielding apparent firearms entering the store; one approached Patel, knocking him off his chair and searching his pockets, while another “victim” surrendered on the floor.
Prosecutors also revealed that Nayi had compensated the store manager to facilitate the setup.
Later, in May 2024, Patel submitted documentation via an immigration attorney to the South Holland Police Department claiming he had suffered significant mental injury as a result of the robbery. That same year, he applied for a U-visa, describing his experience as “terrifying” and recounting the fear and helplessness he felt during the staged attack. At the time of the application, Patel was already under federal indictment and released on pretrial conditions.
Nayi, 28, of Woodridge, testified at Patel’s trial and is scheduled for sentencing on September 2. Another key figure in the scheme, Kewon Young, 31, from Mansfield, Ohio, has pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. The remaining individuals involved have pleaded guilty and received sentences ranging from probation to time served.