Bystander Kills Man in Fake Robbery Tied to Immigration Scam

(ProsperNews.net) – A Texan shot what he thought was an armed robber in January, but it turned out the “robbery” was an immigration scam. The odd event occurred at a gas station in Houston when a bystander believed he had witnessed a robbery and drew his weapon, shooting Rasshauud Scott in the head and killing him. It later transpired, however, that the robbery was a setup aimed at securing U Nonimmigrant Visas. These are granted to immigrants who are victims of violent crimes, allowing them to stay in the US as witnesses, often for years.

Under the fraudulent schemes, participants stage a crime in view of CCTV cameras, then the “victims” report the matter to the police and automatically become witnesses with permission to stay in the US – either because they are material witnesses to a felony or they have suffered significant mental or physical trauma.

Sade Beverly, Scott’s fiancee, brought the scam to police attention, and the “victims” admitted their part in the fraud. Police then investigated further and found repeated instances of similar-style robberies, prompting them to confirm the emergence of a nationwide pattern. In February, for example, New York police arrested Rambhai Patel and Balwinder Singh for allegedly staging nine fraudulent robberies. They were charged with conspiracy to commit fraud.

Houston officers also arrested Scott’s alleged accomplice, William Winfrey, and charged him with murder after reading text messages that revealed his role as the scheme’s planner and ringleader. The shooter, Jesus Vargas, handed himself in and told officers he fired his weapon because he feared for his life and those of the “robbery” victims. Mr. Vargas was later released after investigations concluded he had no part in the scam.

The lack of charges against Vargas prompted outrage from Beverly, who said he ought to face charges because, even though Scott’s actions were wrong, he did not deserve to die. “He’s the one behind the trigger. He’s the one who made that decision,” she said of Vargas.