Indian Uber driver sentenced for transporting individuals illegally entering the US

PTI, Feb 14, 2020, 12:11 PM IST

New York: An Indian citizen, who worked as an Uber driver, has been sentenced to a year in prison for transporting individuals who had entered the US illegally in exchange for money.

Jaswinder Singh, 30, most recently resided in Philadelphia. He was sentenced on Thursday to 12 months in prison for knowingly transporting illegal aliens within the United States for the purpose of financial gain, United States Attorney Grant Jaquith said.

Singh, who worked as an Uber driver, admitted that between January 1, 2019, and May 20, 2019, he picked up several aliens whom he knew had crossed illegally into the United States and transported them into the interior of the country, in exchange for payment.

On May 20, 2019, the day he was arrested for this offense, Singh drove to a location in New York State to pick up two aliens including a child who had illegally crossed into the United States from Canada. The aliens paid Singh USD 2,200 after he picked them up.

Singh, who previously sought and received asylum in the United States, faces possible deportation as a result of this offense.

United States District Judge David N Hurd imposed a 2-year term of supervised release to begin after Singh is released from prison, in the event that Singh is not deported.