Three members of a Richmond Hill family were collectively sentenced to up to 418 years in prison on Jan. 11 for their roles in a scam that defrauded dozens of immigrants of $1.8 million.
In November, members of the Ramsundar family—all of 101-35A 120th Street in South Richmond Hill—were convicted of second-and third-degree grand larceny, first- and second-degree money laundering, first-degree criminal impersonation and first degree scheme to defraud following a nearly three month jury trial in Queens Criminal Court.
Queens Supreme Court Justice Kenneth C. Holder, who presided over those hearings, threw the book at all three defendants, sentencing Shane Rasmundar to 78 1/3 years to 235 years in prison and ordering him to pay $1.8 million in restitution. His wife, Gomatee, was sentenced to 51 to 153 years in prison and fined $221,090, and their daughter, Shantal, was sentenced to 10 to 30 years with $182,180 in fines.
Law enforcement officials charge that the Rasmundars had defrauded 19 individuals in a scheme that mostly targeted the local West Indies community around Queens. Through the scam,the Ramsundars claimed they could obtain properties in Florida and sections in Queens, including Richmond Hill, Jamaica and Ozone Park for those individuals using fake government credentials, which they could live in or resell for profit.
Shane Rasmundar allegedly posed as an Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent on loan to the Federal Bureau of Investigationor Joint Terrorism Task Force and a devoutly religious Pandit, through whom the properties could be obtained. From there, 11 people gave the family $1.5 million, which was laundered through 11 different bank accounts the Ramsundars owned—eight belonging to Shane and three belonging to the family’s Long Island City-based race car repair company, Baba Boost Racing, Inc.
In another part of their operation focused on immigration, Shane Ramsundar posed as an ICE or FBI agent and promised immigrants that he could obtain green cards for them, have them removed from deportation lists and even get them off terror watch lists in exchange for money. Gomatee Ramsundar aided in the scam, prosecutors say, by convincing victims that her husband could obtain such records. Shantal Ramsundar also assisted by holding her father out as an FBI agent while cashing checks and laundering money through bank accounts in her name. In total, victims paid out $300,000 to the Ramsundars for the immigration part of their scam.
Authorities were tipped off about the scam late in the summerof 2009, following the arrest of a Port Authority janitorial worker who defrauded five West Indies individuals in a similar scam. Shane Ramsundar was subsequently arrested in Sept. 2009 on charges related to the scam.
Both Queens District Attorney Richard Brown and Port Authority Police Superintendent Michael Fedorko issued statements praising the convictions.
“This family deviously took advantage of their fellow immigrants as they sought the American Dream,” District Attorney Dan Brown stated. “The damage caused by the defendants was severe and long lasting – in some instances they plundered the life savings of people who placed their trust in them. The harm was not only financial but emotional, as well. This case also sadly marks the downfall of a family – the defendants– who threw away their future to satisfy their greed.”Port Authority Police Superintendent Fedorko added, “The Port Authority Police Department has had great investigative success over the years when partnering with the Queens District Attorney. The conviction in this case highlights another example of investigative and case management excellence. Participating detectives, supervisors, and support personnel from both agencies through hard work and professionalism brought before the court an iron clad case against this unscrupulous family criminal enterprise.”
