Panesar and Hastie posed as federal officers, and Singh assisted them in the fraudulent scheme.
Three individuals, including two Indian Americans, were arrested on June 7 in connection with a scheme to defraud people seeking immigration status in the US.
Indian Americans Hardev Pansear, 69, and Gurdev Singh, 56, – both from California, were charged along with Rafael Hastle, 47, of Mexico for posing as Department of Homeland Security officers and promising they could obtain immigration status in exchange for exorbitant fees, Southern District of California Attorney’s Office said in a statement.
Panesar and Hastie posed as federal officers, and Singh assisted them in the fraudulent scheme.
They also falsely claimed they had the power to stop deportation proceedings, the justice department quoted an indictment by a federal grand jury.
According to the Indictment, the defendants defrauded victims out of approximately $6,000,000 from the scheme.
The three collected fees from victims under the guise that they would be able to provide immigration documents. They concealed from victims the fact that they would never be able to obtain immigration documents or status in the United States.
Panesar, Hastie, and Singh converted the proceeds from the scheme to their personal use and benefit.
They collected thousands of dollars from each of the more than 150 solicited and recruited victims across the United States, including California and Indiana, and Mexico.