BOSTON − At least eight fake armed robberies, including four on the South Shore, were orchestrated to help the victims improve their immigration status, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Rambhai Patel, 36, and Balwinder Singh, 39, both of New York City, are charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, Acting U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Joshua Levy said. Patel was arrested in Seattle and Singh was arrested in Queens, New York, on Dec. 13.

According to Levy’s statement, Patel and co-conspirators, including Singh, were paid to stage the robberies at convenience stores, liquor stores and fast-food restaurants so the clerks could claim they were victims of a violent crime. That would allow them to apply for a U Visa, which is available to victims of certain crimes who have suffered abuse and who have been helpful to law enforcement.

According to case documents, phony robberies were staged at Richdale Food Shops in Hingham on March 22, Michael’s Wine & Spirits in Weymouth on June 6, Yogi’s Liquors in Marshfield on June 9 and Jimmy’s Market & Liquors in Randolph on Sept. 11, WCVB reported.

Others were staged in Pennsylvania, Kentucky and Tennessee.

“In the course of the alleged staged robberies, the ‘robber’ would threaten store clerks and/or owners with an apparent firearm before taking cash from the register and fleeing, while the interaction was captured on store surveillance video. The clerks and/or owners would then wait five or more minutes until the ‘robber’ had escaped before calling police,” Levy’s office said.

This article originally appeared on The Patriot Ledger: 4 South Shore store robberies were phony, federal officials say