Ravinder Arora, Tobacco Trafficking, Massachusetts 2022

BOSTON, Massachusetts - A massive tobacco trafficking conspiracy has been brought to an end as four men have been sentenced in U.S. District Court in Springfield for their roles in a conspiracy to traffic in contraband tobacco and evade taxes.

The defendants, Ravinder Arora, Jugjeev Kharbanda, Sukhdev Singh, and Jaspal Singh, all owned or assisted in the operation of wholesale warehouses in Springfield and Connecticut that sold tobacco products, including cigars and smokeless tobacco, as well as other non-tobacco items, to convenience stores, gas stations and other retail businesses.

Between 2008 and 2012, the defendants conspired with co-conspirator Syed I. Bokhari and others to avoid paying large amounts of tobacco excise taxes on smokeless tobacco and cigars sold from the warehouses.

Ravinder Arora, 60, of East Longmeadow, was sentenced on October 7, 2022, by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to one year of probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. Arora pleaded guilty in August 2015 to one count of conspiracy to commit contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking and three counts of contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking; aiding and abetting.

Jugjeev Kharbanda, 37, of Seymour, Conn., was sentenced on October 5, 2022, by Judge Mastroianni to one year of probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. Kharbanda pleaded guilty in January 2015 to conspiracy and three counts of contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking.

Sukhdev Singh, 69, of West Hartford, Conn., was sentenced by Judge Mastroianni on October 4, 2022, to one year of probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. Singh pleaded guilty in May 2016 to one count of conspiracy, three counts of wire fraud and one count of money laundering.

Jaspal Singh, 59, also of Seymour, Conn., was sentenced on October 3, 2022, by Judge Mastroianni to one year of probation and restitution to be determined at a later hearing. Singh pleaded guilty in October 2014 to conspiracy and three counts of contraband smokeless tobacco trafficking.

On August 11, 2022, Bokhari was sentenced to one year of probation. The government recommended a sentence of 18 months in prison. In a related civil forfeiture action, Bokhari agreed to forfeit seized tobacco, currency, and other assets, which resulted in the recovery of $2,197,985 by the government. The government has also filed an additional forfeiture motion for $30,315.51 seized in connection with Jaspal Singh’s criminal activity. The final order has not yet been issued by the Court.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/four-men-sentenced-tobacco-trafficking-conspiracy