A Queens Village man was indicted for a scheme that targeted a Bangladeshi student in United States on a student visa. The defendant, Rippon Uddin, is accused of labor trafficking, grand larceny, and other related crimes. The indictment alleges that Uddin stole about $18,000 from the student by fraudulently promising to secure an immigration attorney on his behalf, according to a report by the Queens District Attorney's Office.
As per the district attorney, Uddin exploited the victim's trust and not only took his money but also imprisoned him for over a month, forcing him to perform unpaid labor while threatening him with deportation. The student, who had originally come to New York City in pursuit of education, found himself housebound in Uddin's residence, often locked in and coerced into housework under the threat of having to restart his immigration process—a process which turned out to be a sham. The report from the Queens District Attorney's Office further details that the 21-year-old victim was slapped for not meeting Uddin's cleaning standards.
The victim had moved to Florida but returned to New York City in September 2023 at Uddin's request for an alleged immigration interview. Upon arrival, he was informed by Uddin that he had to stay at his house. However, contact with the attorney Uddin claimed to have hired revealed that the lawyer had no knowledge of the victim or of being retained to represent him. This led to the discovery of the deceit and subsequent charges against Uddin, who was arraigned and is awaiting his court appearance on December 9. If convicted, he stands to face up to seven years in prison.
District Attorney Katz underscored the courage of the victim in coming forward, which led to the indictment of Uddin. "As alleged, the defendant took advantage of a young man who came to the United States to further his education. He took the student’s money, imprisoned the young man for more than a month and forced him to work for free, while threatening the victim with deportation if he failed to comply,” Katz said, highlighting the serious nature of the allegations. The case is being prosecuted by the DA's Human Trafficking Bureau, stressing their commitment to combating such exploitation, as per the Queens District Attorney's Office.
