A federal jury in Minnesota has sentenced two men for their roles in a global human trafficking operation that resulted in the deaths of four American nationals, including an 11-year-old and a three-year-old, in January 2022. Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, an Indian nationwide who previously resided in Florida, was given a 10-year and one-month prison sentence by the US Department of Justice. Patel may become deported from the United States after serving his sentence. His co-conspirator, Florida-based 50-year-old Steve Anthony Shand, received a six-year, six-month sentence, followed by two decades of supervised release.
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According to the prosecution, Patel worked with a broader system of conspirators to coordinate the transportation of contraband Indian nationals from Manitoba, Canada, into the US. In the meantime, Shand picked up the refugees after they entered the US and transported them to Chicago. The significant risks posed by the winter along the northern border were ignored by both men because they were paid for their roles. According to data presented at test, the going price for entering the US from India was roughly$ 100 000. According to Matthew R. Galeotti, head of the Justice agency’s legal section,” Patel and Shand endangered thousands of lives for their personal advancement and are responsible for the deaths of two young children who froze to death on their watch.” ” Every moment I think about this situation, I think about this community, including two gorgeous little babies, who the plaintiffs left to rot in a blizzard,” said acting US Attorney Lisa D. Kirkpatrick for the neighborhood of Minnesota. Following a jury trial, both men were found guilty of participating in a contraband system that unlawfully transported American citizens across the US-Canada borders in risky situations. Four household members, including two young children, were discovered frozen to death near the Canadian border while attempting to enter the US, and the procedure ended in tragedy.
