Two men have been convicted of related charges by a Minnesota jury human trafficking For participating in a scheme that led to the death of an Indian family who was stranded while trying to cross the Canada-US border during the 2022 snowstorm.
Prosecutors say Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, a 29-year-old Indian citizen who went by the nickname “Dirty Harry”, and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that brought a growing number of Indians into the US. Is bringing. , prosecutors said.
Federal prosecutors said a family of four – Jagdish Patel, 39; His wife, Vaishaliben, who was about 30 years his senior; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmic – froze to death while trying to cross the border into Minnesota on January 19, 2022, as part of a scheme organized by Patel and Shand. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harsh Kumar Patel.
“To earn a few thousand dollars, these traffickers exposed men, women and children to extraordinary danger, leading to the horrific and tragic deaths of entire families,” U.S. Attorney Andy Lugar said shortly after the verdict was announced Friday.
Ahead of the jury's sentencing Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an alleged participant in a smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, Border Patrol agents and forensic experts.
“The words immoral depravity best describe the conduct that led to this terrible, terrible outcome,” Lugar said.
Defense lawyers pitted against each other, with Shand's team arguing that he had been unwittingly coerced into the scheme by Patel. Patel's lawyer, The Canadian Press informedSaid that his client has been wrongly identified. He said Patel's alleged alias “Dirty Harry”, a different person, was found on Shand's phone. He said bank records and testimony from people who encountered Shands near the border did not link him to the crime.
Prosecutors said Patel was the coordinator of the operation while Shand was the driver. Prosecutors said Shand was to pick up 11 Indian immigrants on the Minnesota side of the Canadian border. Only seven people survived the crossing on foot. Canadian authorities found two parents and their young children dead from freezing that morning.
The men face a maximum sentence of 20 years on the first two counts, 10 years on the third count and five years on the fourth count, the U.S. Attorney's Office told The Associated Press before the trial. Lugar said Friday that a variety of factors will be considered in determining the sentence to be sought.
Note: The above video first aired on November 19, 2024
Contributed to this report.