Avanibahen Patel, a 44-year-old resident of Ronceverte, West Virginia, was sentenced to six months of federal probation for the unlawful employment of aliens. The sentencing took place in Beckley and follows an investigation into her business practices.
Court records show that from November 2020 through at least September 2024, Aakash Prakash Makwana, a 30-year-old Indian national unlawfully residing in Ronceverte, worked at a Fairlea business owned by Patel and her husband. Makwana helped manage daily operations during this period. Patel admitted in court that she and her husband knowingly hired Makwana after his immigration visa had expired.
Patel’s husband, Rajesh N. Patel, age 51, was previously sentenced on January 9, 2025. He received three years of federal probation and a $10,000 fine after pleading guilty to knowingly transporting an illegal alien.
United States Attorney Moore Capito announced the sentencing and recognized the investigative efforts of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security-Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS).
The sentence was handed down by United States Magistrate Judge Omar J. Aboulhosn. Assistant United States Attorney Jonathan T. Storage prosecuted the case as part of a special unit within the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia focused on immigration enforcement under 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,” according to information provided in connection with this case.
Further details about this case can be found by searching for Case No. 5:25-cr-137 on PACER or visiting the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia.
