Indian National Sentenced to 60 Months for His Leadershp Role in Dangerous Human Smuggling Conspiracy

Admitted to Assisting Around 400 Aliens to Unlawfully Enter the United States; At Least One Alien Died During His Journey to the United States

An Indian national was sentenced today for his leadership role in a complex, transnational conspiracy to smuggle aliens from India to the Unites States for profit, which claimed at least one life and endangered many others.

Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and Special Agent in Charge Ivan Arvelo of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) in Puerto Rico made the announcement.

Yadvinder Singh Sandhu, 61, an Indian national, was sentenced to 60 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release. On Jan. 18, 2019, Sandhu pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and 15 counts of smuggling aliens to the United States for profit before U.S. Magistrate Judge Silvia Carreño-Coll of the District of Puerto Rico. District Judge Carmen C. Cerezo accepted the guilty plea and sentenced the defendant. Sandhu was charged in an indictment returned by a federal grand jury in the District of Puerto Rico on March 15, 2017. Sandhu has also used the names “Yadvinder Singh Bhamba,” “Bhupinder Kumar,” “Rajinder Singh,” “Robert Howard Scott” and “Atkins Lawson Howard.”

According to admissions in Sandhu’s plea agreement, since 2013, Sandhu had a leadership role in a human smuggling conspiracy operating out of the Dominican Republic, Haiti, Puerto Rico, India and elsewhere. Sandhu admitted he personally assisted around 400 aliens to unlawfully enter the United States between 2013 and 2015 as part of the conspiracy. He also oversaw and directed co-conspirators operating out of the Caribbean.

https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/indian-national-sentenced-60-months-his-leadershp-role-dangerous-human-smuggling-conspiracy