FBI busts convenience store clerks for 'staged armed robberies' to apply for immigration benefits

Federal authorities say 11 Indian nationals were charged in a scheme to stage armed robberies at convenience stores and restaurants so participants could falsely claim to be crime victims when applying for immigration benefits.

The defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts.

Prosecutors allege the scheme centered on fake robberies designed to help clerks or store owners seek U visas, a form of immigration relief...