Dogar Singh, Bank Fraud, Maryland 2020

Baltimore, MD – Two New Jersey men are facing federal charges after prosecutors say they were key players in a sprawling, $10,782,047 bank fraud scheme that stretched across five states. Dogar Singh, 67, of Carteret, NJ, and Rehan Afridi, 36, of West Deptford, NJ, were charged with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, accused of exploiting a network of businesses to funnel illicit funds.

The pair allegedly operated through two businesses – BBQ Tonite and Al Madina Kabob – which were identified as central to a ring of 76 suspect merchants in Maryland, Michigan, New York, New Jersey, and Virginia. Investigators say the scheme revolved around fraudulently authorized refunds being directed to debit cards linked to accounts controlled by the merchants. Multiple businesses were used to refund the same debit cards repeatedly, masking the flow of stolen money.

According to court documents, the fraud unfolded over an extended period, with a total of 2,426 credit and debit card transactions flagged as suspicious. Al Madina Kabob alone is alleged to have been responsible for at least $470,000 in losses. The U.S. Secret Service, leading the investigation, traced a significant portion of the illicit funds back to accounts opened by Singh and Afridi at TD Bank in April 2019.

Prosecutors allege that Singh and Afridi received $776,900 in deposits from Al Madina Kabob, which were later flagged as fraudulent by TD Bank. However, before the bank could fully process the rejection, the pair allegedly managed to withdraw or transfer approximately $232,152.40. Surveillance footage reportedly shows Singh and Afridi making cash withdrawals at casinos in Maryland, Delaware, and Pennsylvania, as well as issuing checks and utilizing ATMs.

U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Robert K. Hur and Special Agent in Charge Bo Keane of the U.S. Secret Service – Baltimore Field Office announced the charges. If convicted of conspiracy to commit bank fraud, both Singh and Afridi each face a maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison. However, actual sentences are typically less than the maximum, determined by a federal district court judge based on sentencing guidelines and other factors.

Both defendants were released pending trial following initial appearances in U.S. District Court in New Jersey. They are scheduled to appear in U.S. District Court in Maryland on July 15, 2020. A criminal complaint is not a finding of guilt; Singh and Afridi are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The investigation was a collaborative effort involving the U.S. Attorney’s Offices for the Eastern District of Virginia and the District of New Jersey, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, and the FBI. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Judson T. Mihok and Molissa H. Farber are prosecuting the case.

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