Indo-American Couple Arrested For Illegally Bringing Workers To US

NEW DELHI – An Indian couple inKentucky has been arrested for illegallybringing Indians into the US and makingthem work long hours for low wages attheir fast food restaurants.Federal prosecutors have chargedAmrutlal Patel and his wife, DakshabenPatel, both 46, with housing, transportingand employing illegal aliens.The couple operates four Subway restaurantsin Lexington and employed undocumentedIndian nationals who worked10-12 hours a day throughout the weekfor little pay, a statement said.That provided a “substantial financialgain” for the Patels, Assistant USAttorney Hydee Hawkins said.Federal prosecutors have said the Patelsare a flight risk and could flee the US forIndia if they are released.They can use the large amounts of cashthey have from their businesses to fleeand have already sent about USD100,000 back to India, the prosecutorssaid.Defence attorneys have argued that thePatels will not leave the country becauseof their business and two young children.The couple came to the US in 2006, hopingto become citizens.They added that the Patels were trying tohelp fellow Indian nationals by providingthem jobs in the US.According to a sworn statement fromHomeland Security Investigations agentDavid Ramalho, an employee at one ofthe restaurants run by the Patels told awitness that he had been denied food andallegedly beaten up by the couple.The employee said the Patels had kepthim and three other men from India in asecret room in the basement of theirhouse and used to lock them at night.Sometimes they made the employeeswork even when they were not well.The alleged illegal activity lasted for overa year beginning September 2012 and theinvestigation began after the witnesswent to Lexington police in August toreport that “bad things” were happeningto workers at Subway stores operated bythe Patels.Lexington police then began its investigationand conducted extensive surveillanceto document that the Patels weretransporting and housing illegal aliens,according to Ramalho’s affidavit.One of Patel’s employees had asked thewitness to go to police for help becausehe was tired of being treated badly,Ramalho said.The employees each owed nearly$100,000 for being brought from India towork for the Patels.When authorities searched the Patels’home, they found one of the employeesin a locked room upstairs.Another employee told authorities he gotfood, lodging, transportation and $1,800a month to work 10 hours a day, sevendays a week at the Patels’ restaurants.