San Diego Man Who Posed as a Federal Agent to Defraud Immigrants out of $2.5 Million Sentenced to 91

[TexasTowelie]

San Diego Man Who Posed as a Federal Agent to Defraud Immigrants out of $2.5 Million Sentenced to 91 Months


SAN DIEGO – Hardev Panesar of San Diego was sentenced today in federal court by U.S. District Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel to 91 months in custody for his leadership role in an immigration fraud scheme.

According to his plea agreement, Panesar conspired with others, including Rafael Hastie and Gurdev Singh, to induce unauthorized immigrants to pay money based on false and fraudulent claims that the defendants could secure immigration status for the victims and their families. Panesar misled the victims into believing that he could obtain immigration documents or legal immigration status by pretending to be an agent with the Department of Homeland Security. Panesar wore a DHS jacket and showed purported official credentials to his victims.

The plea agreement outlined several dates in 2016 where Panesar successfully obtained thousands of dollars by pretending to be a DHS official. The money paid by the victims totaled over $2.5 million, which was converted to the personal use and benefit of Panesar and his co-defendants. According to statements made at sentencing, Panesar also lost a significant portion of the money he stole from victims as a victim himself in a Nigerian “advanced fee scheme.” At a prior sentencing hearing, one of the victims testified in court that his family gave Panesar and Gurdev Singh approximately $250,000 with the hopes of receiving green cards—a devastating financial loss that contributed to the depression and eventual suicide of a family member.

Panesar’s sentence includes a six-month custodial sentence for an additional charge of Failure to Appear. On June 21, 2018, while released on bond, Panesar fled to Mexico and failed to appear at a Motion Hearing before Judge Curiel set for June 22, 2018. He was captured in Mexico and deported to the United States approximately six weeks later.

Read more: https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdca/pr/san-diego-man-who-posed-federal-agent-defraud-immigrants-out-25-million-sentenced-91