A Santa Rosa, California resident, who is a citizen of India, was sentenced to five months in prison for Conspiracy to Bring in and Transport Certain Aliens for Profit, announced Acting U.S. Attorney Teal Luthy Miller.
Rajat Rajat, 27, and three others were indicted in connection with a scheme to smuggle non-citizens across the northern border for profit. The group was connected to two smuggling episodes in November and December 2023.
At the sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge Tana Lin noted that Rajat played a critical role in the smuggling conspiracy arranging travel and paying coconspirators. Judge Lin said that as someone who had been smuggled into the country, Mr. Rajat perpetuated the cycle of exploitation inherent in the smuggling process.
“Mr. Rajat was a mid-level manager of this smuggling scheme, directing noncitizens where and how to cross the border, and even fronting some travel costs for them and for coconspirators,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Miller. “We are committed to working with our law enforcement partners to stop the illegal border crossings that undermine U.S. security.”
According to records filed in the case, the two smuggling events described in this case involved eight different citizens of India. On November 27, 2023, surveillance technology caught multiple people jumping a fence near the Boundary Village Apartments in Blaine, Washington. The fence is a quarter mile east of Peace Arch Park. Border Patrol agents near the apartments saw five people run to a white minivan. The vehicle was stopped by Border Patrol. Five citizens of India were in the van with California resident Bobby Joe Green, 68, as the driver.
When questioned, three of the non-citizens told U.S. Border Patrol agents that they saw defendant Sushil Kumar at Peace Arch Park prior to crossing the border illegally. The investigation revealed that Kumar and Rajat Rajat, who was employed as a truck driver, directed the non-citizens on where and how to cross the border. Rajat paid Green to transport the non-citizens from the border. Rajat asked for monetary payments from the non-citizens for being smuggled into the U.S.
Similarly, in December 2023, Rajat met three citizens of India in Peace Arch Park and allegedly directed them how to cross through the park and get into a car parked near the border. The car was stopped, and the non-citizens were interviewed. They indicated they had promised to make monetary payments to be smuggled into the U.S. Rajat was picked up near the border.
Defendant: Rajat Rajat
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Bring in and Transport Certain Aliens for Profit
City and State: Seattle, Washington
Exact Date: 2023-12 (month and day not specified)
Sentence or Outcome: 5 months in prison, 3 years of supervised release following prison
Defendant’s Status: Currently serving prison sentence
Related Federal Cases
- Rajinder Pal Singh, Conspiracy to Transport and Harbor Certain Aliens for Profit, Washington 2023 · New York
- Rajat Rajat, Human Trafficking, Washington 2023 · California
- Brandon Denzel Washington, Sex Trafficking, Seattle WA, 2014 · Hawaii
- Ricardo Rios-Quinones, Transportation of Aliens Resulting in Death, California 2020 · Texas
- Rajat Rajat, Human Trafficking, New Mexico 2023 · California
Key Facts
- State: Washington
- Category: Human Trafficking
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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