Indian man residing in California sentenced to prison for scheme to smuggle aliens into the US, following ICE, USBP investigation

SEATTLE — An Indian man living in Santa Rosa, California was sentenced March 5, in U.S. District Court in Seattle to six months in prison for Conspiracy to Bring in and Transport Certain Aliens for Profit, following a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, U.S. Border Patrol investigation.

“Human smuggling poses a serious threat to our nation's border security and undermines the integrity of our immigration system," said ICE Homeland Security Investigations Seattle acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Murphy. "This case highlights the importance of continued vigilance and coordination with our law enforcement partners to safeguard our borders and prevent the exploitation of vulnerable individuals.”

Sushil Kumar, 35, and three others were indicted in connection with a scheme to smuggle illegal aliens across the northern border for profit. The group was connected to two smuggling episodes in November and December 2023. At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin noted that the aliens smuggled into the country are vulnerable. “That they wanted to be in the country doesn’t mean they were not exploited. Each was charged $5,000 to $10,000 which is months or years of their salary in the country from which they were coming… Human smuggling undermines our country’s ability to regulate the border at a real cost,” Judge Lin said.

According to records filed in the case, the two smuggling events involved eight different citizens of India. On Nov. 27, 2023, a motion-activated camera caught multiple illegal aliens jumping a fence near the Boundary Village Apartments in Blaine, Washington. The fence is a quarter mile east of Peace Arch Park. Border Patrol agents near the apartments saw five people run to a white minivan. The vehicle was stopped by Border Patrol. Five illegal aliens were in the van with California resident Bobby Joe Green, 68, as the driver.

When questioned, three of the illegal aliens told U.S. Border Patrol agents that they saw Kumar at Peace Arch Park prior to crossing the border illegally and identified him in 6-pack photo lineups. Two of the aliens stated that they communicated with Kumar via WhatsApp prior to Nov. 27, 2023. One of the aliens stated that Kumar instructed him to jump over a specific fence, and that he sent the alien a screenshot of his live location near the fence. The investigation revealed that Kumar and 26-year-old Rajat Rajat directed the aliens on where and how to cross the border. Rajat paid Green to transport the aliens from the border. Rajat asked for monetary payments from the aliens for being smuggled into the U.S.

Similarly, in December 2023, Rajat met three citizens of India in Peace Arch Park and allegedly directed them how to cross through the park and get into a car driven by Sneha. The car was stopped, and the aliens were interviewed. They indicated they had promised to make monetary payments to be smuggled into the U.S. Rajat was picked up near the border after Sneha and the three aliens had been taken into custody.

Three of the four defendants have pleaded guilty. Rajat Rajat, will be sentenced on April 23, 2025. Bobby Joe Green will be sentenced on March 13, 2025. The fourth defendant Sneha, 20, a citizen of India who is in the U.S. on a student visa and goes by just her last name, is scheduled to go to trial on a superseding indictment on May 12, 2025. Sneha was arrested in Renton and released on an appearance bond.

The charges contained in the superseding indictment of Sneha are only allegations. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case is being investigated by ICE HSI and the U.S. Border Patrol.

The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Jin Kim and Mike Dion and Special Assistant United States Attorney Katherine Collins.

Learn more about ICE HSI Seattle’s mission to combat human smuggling on X at @HSISeattle.

Source: U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE.gov)