2 men convicted of charges related to human smuggling

By MARK VANCLEAVE and MICHAEL GOLDBERG

FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (AP) — Two men have been convicted by a Minnesota jury of charges related to… human smuggling for participating in a scheme that led to the deaths of an Indian family who froze while trying to cross the Canada-US border during a 2022 blizzard, according to a prosecution spokesperson.

Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel, 29, an Indian national who prosecutors said went by the alias “Dirty Harry,” and Steve Shand, 50, an American from Florida, were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that has been bringing increasing numbers of Indians into the US , prosecutors said.

Federal prosecutors said a family of four — 39-year-old Jagdish Patel; his wife, Vaishaliben, who was in her mid-30s; their 11-year-old daughter, Vihangi; and 3-year-old son, Dharmik — froze to death Jan. 19, 2022, while trying to cross the border into Minnesota in a scheme organized by Patel and Shand. Patel is a common Indian surname, and the victims were not related to Harshkumar Patel.

This combination image shows left to right; undated photo released by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office shows Harshkumar Patel in Elk River, Minn., and undated photo released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows Steve Shand. (AP Photo)

The Edward J. Devitt US Courthouse and Federal building is seen, where two men on trial face human smuggling charges, Monday, Nov. 18, 2024, in Fergus Falls, Minn. (AP Photo/Michael Goldberg)

FILE – Road sign is posted just outside of Emerson, Manitoba, Jan. 20, 2022. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP, File)

In an undated image released by the US Attorney’s Office, shows items found in a migrant child’s backpack. (US Attorney’s Office via AP)

In an image released by the US Attorney’s Office, shows how the migrants who survived the crossing were terribly inadequately dressed. (US Attorney’s Office via AP)

FILE – Road sign is posted just outside of Emerson, Manitoba on Thursday, Jan. 20, 2022. (John Woods/The Canadian Press via AP)

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This combination image shows left to right; undated photo released by the Sherburne County Sheriff’s Office shows Harshkumar Patel in Elk River, Minn., and undated photo released by the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement shows Steve Shand. (AP Photo)

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Before the jury’s conviction on Friday, the federal trial in Fergus Falls, Minnesota, saw testimony from an allegedparticipant in the smuggling ring, a survivor of the treacherous journey across the northern border, border patrol agents and forensic experts.

Defense attorneys were pitted against each other, with Shand’s team arguing that he was unwittingly roped into the scheme by Patel. Patel’s lawyers, The Canadian Press reportedsaid their client had been misidentified. They said “Dirty Harry,” the alleged nickname for Patel found on Shand’s phone, is a different person. Bank records and witness testimony from those who encountered Shand near the border do not tie him to the crime, they added.

Prosecutors said Patel was the coordinator of the operation while Shand was a driver. Shand was to pick up 11 Indian migrants on the Minnesota side of the Canadian border, prosecutors said. Only seven survived the foot crossing. Canadian authorities found two parents and their young children later that morning, dead from the cold.

Originally Published: November 22, 2024 at 10:20 AM PST