Hindu religious leader Gopal Hari Das jailed in US for visa fraud
in June 2008 after HSI received information from US Citizenship and Immigration Service's (USCIS) Benefit Fraud Unit that GVS had filed numerous petitions for R-1 religious workers from India. Subsequent investigation by HSI disclosed that Haldar used the GVS temple as a front for an elaborate religious visa fraud scheme.
In the scheme, Haldar charged Indian nationals as much as USD 30,000 each in exchange for his assistance to fraudulently obtain R-1 visas.
The fraudulent priests typically made substantial cash payments to Haldar and his associates in India, and were indebted to him for the balance once they arrived in the US. They worked at convenience stores in Milwaukee, drove taxi cabs and paid Haldar from what they earned.
"This country's immigration system is not for sale, and those who think they can exploit the system for personal gain will pay the price for their crimes," said Gary Hartwig, special agent in charge for HSI Chicago.
"Visa fraud not only undermines the integrity of our legal immigration process, it also poses a significant security vulnerability," he said.
