Bakersfield Man Sentenced for Stealing $163,750 in COVID-19 Relief Money

Bakersfield Man Sentenced for Stealing $163,750 in COVID-19 Relief Money

FRESNO, Calif. — A Bakersfield man was sentenced to 18 months in prison for stealing $163,750 in COVID-19 relief money, announced U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert.

Jaswinder Bhangoo, 51, of Bakersfield, was ordered to pay $163,750 in restitution as part of his sentence. The case was the result of an investigation by the Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration.

Between May 2020 and November 2021, Bhangoo applied for over $250,000 in COVID-19 relief loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. In the applications, Bhangoo falsely represented that he owned multiple businesses with several employees and substantial revenues.

He also represented that he had not been convicted of a felony in the previous five years when, in fact, he had been convicted of insurance fraud. Based on Bhangoo’s false representations, some of his loan applications were approved, and he received approximately $163,750 in federal funds to which he was not entitled.

Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brittany M. Gunter and Joseph Barton prosecuted the case. The effort is part of a California COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Strike Force operation, one of five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams established by the U.S. Department of Justice.

The California Strike Force combines law enforcement and prosecutorial resources in the Eastern and Central Districts of California and focuses on large-scale, multistate pandemic relief fraud perpetrated by criminal organizations and transnational actors.

The strike forces use prosecutor-led and data analyst-driven teams to identify and bring to justice those who stole pandemic relief funds.

Jaswinder Bhangoo, 51, of Bakersfield, will serve 18 months behind bars for swindling the government out of $163,750 meant for COVID-19 relief. A Treasury Inspector General for Tax Administration investigation uncovered his scheme.

It’s just another case of a government agency getting taken in by a smooth-talking scam artist who thought he could get away with it.

Bhangoo applied for over $250,000 in COVID-19 relief loans between May 2020 and November 2021. He claimed to own multiple businesses with several employees and substantial revenues, but it was all a lie.

The U.S. Department of Justice has established five interagency COVID-19 fraud strike force teams, with the California Strike Force being one of them.

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