Fake Robberies Allowed Fake Victims to Apply for Visas, Prosecutors Say

Two suspects were charged in a case that spans four states and highlights vulnerabilities in a federal visa program for immigrants. On first glance, a slew of eight armed robberies at mini-marts and liquor stores in four states this year appeared to be run-of-the-mill crimes. But F.B.I. agents investigating them noticed patterns that they said could suggest a more complex operation: The robberies, including at least one that involved an apparently fake gun, were staged as part of an elaborate visa-fraud scheme.