An official statement indicated that a dentist of Indian descent, 46, admitted to taking USD 500,000 in COVID-19 relief funds over the course of two years and utilizing it for illegal personal expenses like investments.
The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Small Business Administration (SBA) provided Ranjan Rajbanshi, a dentist in California, with over USD 850,000 in COVID-19 relief funds between April 2020 and February 2022 for specific business needs like facility costs, employee salaries, and protective gear for him and his staff.
According to a news release from the Department of Justice, Rajbanshi pleaded guilty on Monday to improperly spending USD 500,000 of the relief funds on investments and other personal expenses.
Before being sentenced, he consented to give the authorities that money back.
According to the press release, the case was discovered as a result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the SBA Office of Inspector General, and the HHS Office of Inspector General.
The maximum legal punishment for Rajbanshi is 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. On December 4, a US District Judge is supposed to sentence him.
The Covid-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force, which was established in 2021, supports efforts to identify and bring to justice the worst domestic and foreign criminal actors.
It was established to strengthen efforts to combat and prevent pandemic-related fraud and to support organizations responsible for managing relief programs in doing so.
