Greenbrier County Woman Sentenced for Immigration Crime

BECKLEY, W.Va. – Avanibahen Patel, 44, of Ronceverte, was sentenced today to six months of federal probation for unlawful employment of aliens.

According to court documents and statements made in court, from November 2020 through at least September 2024, Aakash Prakash Makwana, 30, a citizen of India unlawfully residing in Ronceverte, was employed at a Fairlea business owned and operated by Patel and her husband. Makwana assisted with running the daily business during the time period. Patel admitted that she and her husband agreed to hire Makwana knowing that he was living in the United States illegally after his immigration visa expired.

Patel’s husband, Rajesh N. Patel, 51, of Ronceverte, was sentenced on January 9, 2025, to three years of federal probation and fined $10,000 after pleading guilty to knowingly transporting an illegal alien.

United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).

United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case, as part of a special unit within the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on the immigration enforcement objectives of Operation Take Back America.

Operation Take Back America is a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.

A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-137.

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