Sham Film Companies Hide Human Smuggling Ring

Abbas Ali Haider has admitted to orchestrating a large-scale human smuggling operation that illicitly transported Pakistanis into the U.S. under the guise of bogus film productions. Operating through fake companies, Haider charged significant fees for false visas, enabling illegal border crossings into states such as California and Texas.

A Pakistani man, Abbas Ali Haider, has pleaded guilty to leading an international human smuggling operation that utilized fake film production companies as a cover, the Justice Department announced on Friday.

Haider, 49, ran two fraudulent companies based in Pakistan—Diamond TV World Productions and Multimedia Advertising—to facilitate the illegal entry of Pakistani nationals into the United States. He now faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.

According to court documents, from September 2019 to September 2023, Haider orchestrated travel for these individuals by securing visas under the guise of legitimate business trips to Latin America, with the final destination being the U.S. The illegal enterprise charged each person up to USD 40,000, guiding them from Latin America to the U.S.-Mexico border, where they crossed into states like California and Texas.