(Fergus Falls, MN) — Jurors are expected to begin deliberating a verdict in a Minnesota human smuggling trial later today. The prosecution rested its case against Hari Patel and Steve Shand in a Fergus Falls federal courtroom yesterday. Defense lawyers chose not to call any witnesses and both sides gave their closing arguments. Prosecutors have accused the two defendants of being part of a human smuggling ring that brought residents of India into the U.S. by having them walk across the northern border. Four members of an Indian family died in a blizzard while trying to get across the border in 2022.
