67-yr-old Indian tries to obtain US citizenship by fraud: officials
New York: A 67-year-old Indian in the US has pleaded guilty to one count of attempted naturalisation fraud, facing up to 10 years in prison, officials said.
Pal Singh, who also went by names -- Surinder Singh and Harpal Singh -- first landed in the US in 1992 with an Indian passport and an entry visa which was deemed fraudulent.
He pleaded guilty before US District Court Judge Esther Salas to an information charging him with one count of attempted naturalisation fraud, US Attorney Craig Carpenito said.
The charge carries a maximum potential sentence of 10 years in prison. The sentencing is scheduled for August.
According to documents filed in the case and statements made in court, in March 1992, Singh, an Indian national, applied for admission into the US as a tourist at Los Angeles International Airport by presenting an Indian passport that purported to contain an entry visa to the country.
Singh was refused admission in the US because the entry visa was deemed fraudulent and he was detained pending exclusion proceedings.
Later, Singh applied for asylum in the US in his true name, and he was released on bond while his asylum claim was evaluated.
In June 1993, an immigration judge in New York denied Singh's asylum application and ordered him to surrender for deportation. He, however, failed to appear for his deportation.
In August 1995, Singh fraudulently applied for asylum in the US under the identity of 'Harpal Singh' and claimed that he entered by crossing the US-Mexico border in December 1994.
Singh did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum under his true identity.
In March 1996, an immigration judge denied Singh's second asylum application and was again ordered to surrender for deportation. Singh again failed to appear for his deportation.
In May 1996, Singh again fraudulently applied for asylum in the US under the identity of 'Surinder Singh', claiming he had entered by crossing the US-Mexico border in November 1995.
He did not disclose that he had previously been denied asylum under his true identity and under the identity of Harpal Singh.
This application further claimed that Surinder Singh had been beaten and tortured in India in 1994 despite the fact that Singh had been living in the US at the time under his true identity.
In June 1996, the Immigration and Naturalisation Service granted Singh's third asylum application in the name of 'Surinder Singh' based on fraudulent information provided by him.
In December 2015, Singh filed an application to become a naturalised US citizen with the US Department of Homeland Security under the identity of Surinder Singh.
He falsely answered questions relating to his identity, his prior immigration applications, and his immigration status, among others.
Last year, Singh appeared in the identity of Surinder Singh before an officer of the Department of Homeland Security in Newark for an interview, which was conducted under oath and video-recorded.
Singh, assisted by counsel and by a Punjabi interpreter, made false statements about his entire immigration status.
A qualified fingerprint examiner from the US Department of Homeland Security's Biometric Support Center compared fingerprints taken of Singh when he initially attempted to enter the US in March 1992 to fingerprints taken in the names of Harpal Singh and Surinder Singh in connection with later immigration proceedings. The examiner concluded that the same individual made all of the fingerprints.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
