Indian-origin Harshkumar Ramanlal Patel has appealed his conviction and prison sentence in a human smuggling case linked to the 2022 deaths of a family from Gujarat near the Manitoba-Minnesota border.

Patel, sentenced in May 2025 to more than 10 years in prison, is seeking to overturn his conviction before a U.S. appeals court. Court records show Patel is representing himself and argues that trial errors, jury instructions and sentencing calculations unfairly affected the verdict.  

Patel and co-accused Steve Shand were convicted in November 2024 for operating a cross-border human smuggling network that brought Indian nationals into Canada on fraudulent student visas before illegally moving them into the United States. Prosecutors said Patel coordinated the smuggling logistics while Shand transported migrants after they crossed the border.  

The case drew international attention after Jagdish Patel, his wife Vaishaliben, daughter Vihangi and son Dharmik froze to death during a blizzard in January 2022 while attempting to cross into Minnesota on foot. Authorities said the migrants were left in extreme weather conditions with inadequate protection.  

Shand, who received a six-and-a-half-year sentence, has also appealed his conviction. Federal prosecutors are urging the court to reject both appeals and uphold the original verdicts.