A routine commercial vehicle inspection at a Pennsylvania weigh station resulted in the arrest of a truck driver wanted on federal wire fraud charges, according to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Simranpal Singh was taken into custody on Sept. 4 while an officer with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Operations was conducting commercial vehicle inspections at a weigh station in Newberry, Pennsylvania.
According to DHS, Singh presented a commercial driver’s license issued by New York during the inspection. The ICE officer determined that Singh, an Indian national, was unlawfully present in the United States and subsequently arrested him.
DHS said Singh also had an outstanding federal warrant for wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud. The warrant was issued by the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania.
The department’s announcement did not provide additional details about the alleged wire fraud scheme, including when the charges were filed or how much money was allegedly involved.
Singh is expected to remain in ICE custody until he is transferred to the U.S. Marshals Service in connection with the federal criminal case. DHS said ICE intends to resume custody of Singh following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings. He also has pending removal proceedings.
DHS says Singh entered the U.S. in 2022
DHS said Singh entered the United States through Arizona in June 2022. He was apprehended by U.S. Border Patrol and later released into the country.
The department did not disclose when Singh obtained his New York-issued CDL. It also did not identify the type of commercial vehicle he was operating at the time of his arrest or say whether the truck was placed out of service following the inspection.
The arrest comes as federal authorities increase scrutiny of commercial driver licensing and the immigration status of some CDL holders. DHS has pointed to several recent ICE arrests involving commercial drivers who possessed CDLs issued by states different from those where the drivers were apprehended.
Why it matters
The case adds to the growing number of federal enforcement actions involving commercial drivers, highlighting increased attention to both CDL compliance and immigration status within the U.S. trucking industry.
