Federal prosecutors had recommended approximately 20 years for Patel and 11 years for Shand, the driver. Both were tried in November of the previous year and found guilty on four counts, including human trafficking, criminal conspiracy, and involuntary manslaughter.
Both defendants were allegedly part of a sophisticated illegal operation that brought dozens of people from India to Canada on student visas and then smuggled them across the US border. Patel had been in jail since his arrest at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport in February 2024.
A family of four from Dingujha village, Gandhinagar district, Gujarat, died from exposure to the elements during a blizzard while attempting to enter the US from a remote area of the Canada border. The victims were Jagdish Patel (39), his wife Vaishalibhen (30), their daughter Vihangi (11), and their son Dharmic (3).
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police recovered their bodies on January 19, 2022, just north of the border between Manitoba and Minnesota. The couple were school teachers. A nearby weather station recorded a temperature of -36°F (-38°C) that morning, extremely dangerous for humans.
