Asian-American couple jailed for forcing relative to work at gas station

An Asian-American couple has been sentenced to prison by a US court for coercing their relative to work at their gas station and convenience store for over three years.

Harmanpreet Singh, 31, received a 135-month (11.25 years) prison sentence, while Kulbir Kaur, 43, was sentenced to 87 months (7.25 years). They were also ordered to pay their victim, Singh's cousin, GBP 178,686.43 in restitution. The couple has since divorced.

"The defendants exploited their relationship with the victim to lure him to the United States with false promises that they would help enroll him in school," said Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division. "The defendants confiscated the victim's immigration documents and subjected him to threats, physical force, and mental abuse to coerce him to work long hours for minimal pay. This sentence should send a strong message that such forced labor will not be tolerated in our communities," she added.

US Attorney Jessica D Aber for the Eastern District of Virginia stated that the defendants exploited the victim's sincere desire to receive an education and improve his life. Instead, they deprived him of basic human needs and his freedom.

Evidence presented at trial showed that in 2018, the defendants enticed the victim, who was then a minor, to travel from India to the US with false promises of enrolling him in school.

Upon arrival in the US, the defendants confiscated his immigration documents and compelled him to work at Singh's store from March 2018 to May 2021. Singh and Kaur forced the victim to work between 12 and 17 hours a day, nearly every day, for minimal pay.

The couple employed various coercive tactics, including confiscation of the victim's immigration documents, physical abuse, threats, and providing degrading living conditions.

They confined the victim to sleeping in a back office for days, restricted his access to food, denied him medical care and education, monitored him with surveillance equipment, refused his requests to return to India, and caused him to overstay his visa.

The defendants also coerced the victim into marrying Kaur and used that marriage as leverage to threaten him with false police reports or seizure of his family's properties if he attempted to leave.

When the victim requested the return of his immigration documents or tried to leave, Singh pulled his hair, slapped him, and kicked him. On three occasions, Singh threatened the victim with a revolver for attempting to take a day off or leave.

(With inputs from PTI)