Press Release
Defendants Charged with Posing as Federal Agents and Defrauding Immigrants Out of $6 Million
For Immediate Release
U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of California
SAN DIEGO – Three individuals were arrested today in connection with a scheme to defraud victims seeking immigration status in the United States. As part of the fraud, two of defendants – Hardev Panesar and Rafael Hastie – posed as officers of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and promised that they could obtain immigration status for people in exchange for exorbitant fees. Gurdev Singh is also charged with assisting his conspirators in the fraudulent scheme.
According to a federal grand jury indictment unsealed today, although Panesar and Hastie have never worked at DHS, since at least 2014 they falsely claimed to be DHS agents and falsely stated they had the authority to obtain lawful immigration documents and legal status for individuals who lacked such status in the United States. Panesar and Hastie also falsely claimed they had the power to stop deportation proceedings.
According to the Indictment, the defendants defrauded victims out of approximately $6,000,000 from the scheme. Panesar, Hastie and Singh collected fees from victims under the guise that they would be able to provide immigration documents, and concealed from victims the fact that they would never be able to obtain immigration documents or status in the United States. Instead, the defendants converted the proceeds from the scheme to their personal use and benefit. Panesar, Hastie, Singh and others have solicited and recruited victims across the United States, including California and Indiana, and Mexico.
Panesar and Hastie convinced victims that they were agents, in part, because they showed fake agency credentials when meeting with the victims. Panesar and Hastie also provided immigration applications to victims and took fingerprints supposedly for immigration forms. They often demanded more money to speed up the process or guarantee the immigration documents by a certain date. Panesar, Hastie, and Singh never delivered on their promise to provide immigration documents, despite collecting thousands of dollars from each of the more than 150 victims.
The investigation into this case continues. The San Diego Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is seeking possible victims in this investigation from 2000 through 2017.
If you believe you are a potential victim of this crime, please fill out the questionnaire at https://forms.fbi.gov/SDImmigrationFraud or email the FBI at SDImmigrationFraud@ic.fbi.gov.
DEFENDANTS Case Number: 17CR1371-GPC |
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Name |
Age |
City |
Hardev PANESAR |
69 |
El Cajon, California |
Rafael HASTIE |
47 |
Tijuana, Mexico |
Gurdev SINGH |
56 |
Bakersfield, California |
SUMMARY OF CHARGES
Count 1: 18 U.S.C. § 1349, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud; Maximum Penalty 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution. (All defendants)
Counts 2-4: 18 U.S.C. § 1343, Wire Fraud; Maximum Penalty 20 years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture and restitution (All defendants)
Counts 5-10: 18 U.S.C. § 912, False Personation of an Officer or Employee of the United States; Maximum Penalty 3 years in prison, $250,000 fine (Panesar and Hastie)
Count 11: 31 U.S.C. § 5324(a)(3), Structuring Domestic Financial Institutions; Maximum Penalty 10 years in prison, $250,000 fine, forfeiture (Panesar)
AGENCY
Federal Bureau of Investigation
*The charges and allegations contained in an Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendants are considered innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Contact
Assistant U. S. Attorney Andrew Young
(619) 546-7981
Assistant U.S. Attorney Meghan Heesch
(619) 546-9442
Updated June 7, 2017
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