DHS Official Found Guilty of Immigration Fraud, Bribery & Conspiracy

A man who worked for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was found guilty Monday on a dozen counts related to fraud, bribery, and conspiracy in connection with a scheme to bring illegal aliens into the United States.

According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Hasmukh Patel, 54, worked to bring an Indian foreign national couple to the U.S. by means of fraudulent work visas, and was later found guilty of submitting fraudulent visa applications to both the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  As part of the scheme, Patel received $100,000 to bring a man and his wife into the United States.

In the couple's visa applications, Patel said the woman was going to work in his home by taking care of his wife.  Evidence at the trial established that the woman never worked in Patel's home. In reality, the couple went to Brunswick, Georgia, where they worked in the family convenience store.

Witnesses from the U.S. consulate in Mumbai, India testified that Patel called the consulate to vouch for the visa applications.  Consular officials later alerted investigators that Patel was attempting to bring another Indian couple to the U.S. on the same type of temporary work visa.  Evidence also showed that Patel used his DHS computer to see if he or the visa recipients were under investigation.

Patel now faces up to 49 years in prison and fines up to $1.75 million dollars.

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