Ontario Man Pleads Guilty To Transporting Illegal Aliens

Kumanaraj Thurairajah Picked Up Six People Who Had Entered the U.S. Illegally

ALBANY, NEW YORK – Kumanaraj Thurairajah, age 44, pled guilty yesterday to transporting illegal aliens, announced United States Attorney Grant C. Jaquith and Robert N. Garcia, Chief Patrol Agent, United States Border Patrol, Swanton Sector.

Thurairajah, a Canadian citizen and a resident of Ontario, Canada, admitted that, on the morning of October 5, 2019, he was waiting in a parking lot outside of a hotel in Canton, NY. While he was waiting, a van dropped off six Indian nationals, all of whom had recently crossed into the United States illegally. The aliens entered Thurairajah’s van and they departed intending to travel to New York City. Thurairajah and his passengers were thereafter apprehended by United States Border Patrol Agents. As part of his guilty plea, Thurairajah admitted that he knew or recklessly disregarded the fact that the Indian nationals were unlawfully in the United States, and that he acted with the intent to further their unlawful presence.

Thurairajah faces up to 5 years in prison, a maximum fine of $250,000, and up to 3 years of supervised release when he is sentenced by Senior Judge Lawrence E. Kahn on July 8, 2020. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statute the defendant is charged with violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, and other factors.

This case was investigated by the United States Border Patrol, and is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Thomas Sutcliffe.