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Harmanpreet Singh, 30, and Kulbir Kaur, 43, are facing prison time after being found guilty following a two-week trial for enticing the former's cousin to provide services for them at a gas station and convenience store in North Chesterfield in questionable conditions.
“(This couple) engaged in an egregious bait-and-switch, luring the victim with false promises of an education in the United States and instead subjecting him to grueling hours, degrading living conditions, and a litany of mental and physical abuse,” US Attorney Jessica Aber said.
“Forced labor and human trafficking are abhorrent crimes that have no place in our society, and I am grateful to our team of prosecutors, agents, and support staff for ensuring that justice was done in this case.”
According to prosecutors, in 2018, the couple convinced Singh's cousin - a minor at the time - to travel to the country with a false pledge to enroll him in school; however, they had a more nefarious plot in mind.
Once he was stateside, Singh took his cousin's immigration documents and immediately put him to work, leaving him in the store to sleep in a back office for days at a time. They also limited access to his food, refused to provide medical care, or the education that he was initially promised.
Singh and Kaur used various coercive means, including confiscating his immigration documents and subjecting the victim to physical abuse, threats of force and other serious harm and, at times, degrading living conditions, to compel him to work extensive hours for minimal pay.
The couple also got creative, according to court documents, using surveillance equipment to monitor their cousin both at the store and in their home, refusing to allow him to return to India, causing him to overstay his visa and providing the couple with more leverage.
Evidence presented at their trial also determined that Singh pulled his cousin's hair, and assaulted him when he requested his immigration documentation or tried to leave. On at least three different occasions, prosecutors say that Singh threatened his cousin with a gun for attempting to take a day off or attempting to flee.
Specifically, Singh and Kaur were convicted of conspiracy to commit forced labor, forced labor, harboring for financial gain, and document servitude in connection with their operation of a gas station and convenience store in North Chesterfield.
“They exploited the victim’s trust and his desire to attend school in the United States, and then inflicted physical and mental abuse against him, all so they could keep him working for their profit,” Assistant AG Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division stated.
“Human trafficking is a disgraceful and unacceptable crime, and this verdict should send the very clear message that the Justice Department will investigate and vigorously prosecute these cases to hold human traffickers accountable and bring justice to their victims.”
When they are sentenced in May, Singh and Kaur face up to 20 years in prison, five years of supervised release, and a $250,000 fine for the forced labor charge.
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