Pittsburgh India Singh Brothers Charged with Marriage Visa Fraud Scheme
November 12, 2019 - Indian nationals Rajinder Singh (43) of Pittsburgh and Makhan Singh (53) of Monroeville are indicted today by a federal grand jury on charges of marriage visa fraud scheme.
According to the indictment unsealed on November 8, 2019:
Rajinder and Makhan Singh, who are brothers and citizens of India, entered into a conspiracy in 2011 with a woman known to the grand jury as D.H. to enter into a sham marriage for the purpose of evading immigration laws.
..Makhan introduced D.H. to his brother and paid her to marry him and to make false statements to the United States Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS).
The "couple" further staged pictures and opened joint bank accounts, and Makhan made payments for D.H.’s benefit, including paying for car insurance for a vehicle jointly registered to D.H. and Rajinder in order to falsely document their relationship and marriage.
...Rajinder made false statements to CIS on or about March 11, 2016 and December 14, 2017 when he stated that he did not live at a separate address from D.H., when they had lived separately.
Charges and Potential Penalty
The indictment against Rajinder Singh and Makhan Singh included three counts of conspiracy and visa fraud.If convicted, Rajinder Singh and Makhan Singh face a maximum total sentence of 15 years in prison, a fine of $500,000, or both.
The actual sentence imposed according to the Federal Sentencing Guidelines would be based on the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendants.
The defendants, Rajinder Singh and Makhan Singh, remain on bond pending the resolution of the case.
Rajinder Singh and Makhan Singh must be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty by a court of law.