By Devin Fry
FERGUS FALLS, Minn. (Valley News Live) – Two men who had been found guilty in a deadly human smuggling case learned their fate in Fergus Falls today, with their sentences officially being handed down.
Harshkumar Patel, a 29-year-old Indian National, has been sentenced to 121 months in prison, the highest the judge could give in the guideline range. The U.S. Government was asking for a 235-month sentence. Since Patel is not a U.S. Citizen, he will likely be deported back to India after serving his sentence. He also won’t have any supervised release. Our reporter on scene said that Judge John Tunheim cited an interest in protecting the public with this sentencing. They also told us that Patel’s lawyer said that they plan on appealing the decision.
Steve Shand, a 50-year-old man from Florida, was given 78 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised released. Sentencing guidelines for Shand were anywhere between 78-97 months.
These two men were found guilty in November on four counts related to human smuggling, including conspiracy to bring migrants into the country illegally. Officials saying that they were part of a sophisticated illegal operation that brought Indian citizens into the country illegally for profit.
As a result of this operation, many migrants were put into perilous situations. A family of four, a husband, wife, their 11-year-old daughter, and 3-year-old son died on January 19, 2022, after spending hours wandering in blizzard conditions with wind chills reaching minus 36 degrees near the Minnesota-Canadian Border.
