Two Indians have pleaded guilty before an American district court to charges of smuggling foreign nationals into the US, the Department of Justice has said. Nileshkumar Patel, 42, and Harsad Mehta, 68, both of India, pleaded guilty on Monday before District Judge William Martini in Newark federal court to separate superseding informations charging them each with one count of conspiracy to smuggle foreign nationals into the United States for commercial advantage and private financial gain. According to court documents, Patel and Mehta admitted that from June 2013 through October 2015, they conspired to make money by recruiting Indian nationals to enter and reside in the United States illegally.
Patel and Mehta admitted that on July 24, 2014, they brought two Indian nationals to Bangkok, so that they could be transported into the United States. They also admitted paying an individual — who was actually an undercover officer — to transport the foreign nationals from Thailand into Newark. The conspiracy count carriers a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. Sentencing is scheduled for May 16, 2017.
