I.C.E. News Release

June 22, 2010

Milwaukee religious leader charged in religious visa fraud scheme

Indian nationals allegedly paid $30,000 to fraudulently enter US as religious workers

MILWAUKEE, Wis. - A religious leader from India, who owns and operates a local Hindu temple, faces charges that he fraudulently obtained religious worker visas for Indian nationals and charged them up to $30,000 each. These charges resulted from an investigation conducted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

Sagarsen Haldar, 30, an Indian national residing in Milwaukee, was charged in the Eastern District of Wisconsin June 21 with fraud and misusing visas. ICE agents arrested Haldar on Saturday at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago as he arrived in the United States from India.

Haldar leads the Gaudiya Vaisnava Society (GVS), a religious temple located at 2425 W. Ramsey Ave. in Milwaukee. Records show that Haldar has attempted to sponsor about 33 Indian nationals to enter the country under "R-1" visas. In many cases, the R-1 applications falsely stated that the individuals were religious workers who planned to work at the GVS temple. In fact, they had no religious experience, and obtained odd jobs and employment once they arrived in the United States.

The investigation into Haldar was initiated in June 2008 after ICE received information from U.S. 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 ICE revealed that Haldar allegedly used the GVS temple as a front for an elaborate religious visa fraud scheme. In the scheme, Haldar charged Indian nationals $30,000 each so they could fraudulently enter the United States. The Indian nationals paid Haldar $500 per week.

According to court documents, the Indian nationals admitted they were not priests or religious workers, and they did not perform priestly duties at the GVS temple.

"Religious visas are intended to give priests and religious workers from around the world a chance to continue their ministry in the United States," said Gary Hartwig, ICE special agent in charge in Chicago. "The defendant is charged with gaming the immigration system for his personal profit. ICE aggressively investigates anyone who tries to exploit and corrupt America's legal immigration system."

ICE was assisted in the investigation by USCIS. Assistant U.S. Attorney Greg Haanstad, Eastern District of Wisconsin, is prosecuting the case.

For more information, visit www.ice.gov.

-- ICE --

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is the largest investigative arm of the Department of Homeland Security.

ICE is a 21st century law enforcement agency with broad responsibilities for a number of key homeland security priorities. For more information, visit www.ICE.gov. To report suspicious activity, call 1-866-347-2423.

Last Modified: Tuesday, June 22, 2010
U.S. Department of Homeland Security

http://www.ice.gov/pi/nr/1006/100622milwaukee.htm