Indians Linked To COVID Fraud Cases In US And UK Over Fake Tests, PPE Deals Worth Millions

Indian-origin individuals have been linked to separate COVID-19 fraud cases in the United States and the United Kingdom, involving alleged fake testing claims worth $66.2 million in the US and fraudulent personal protective equipment (PPE) deals in Britain that left businesses facing significant losses.

In the US, Rajesh “Raj” Patel, 52, an Illinois laboratory owner, has been charged with allegedly defrauding the federal government through a scheme involving hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests that were never performed. In the UK, Jogesh Bhandari, 59, and his wife, Meenakashi (Meena) Bhandari, were convicted of fraud and money laundering linked to PPE supply deals during the pandemic.

According to the US Department of Justice, a federal grand jury in the Northern District of Illinois indicted Patel over an alleged $66.2 million fraud scheme. Prosecutors allege that between May 2021 and April 2022, he fabricated negative results for at least 380,000 COVID-19 tests that his laboratory had not actually conducted.

The laboratory allegedly submitted fraudulent claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), which paid approximately $44.1 million. Patel is accused of personally obtaining around $28 million from the scheme.

“This defendant allegedly exploited a global crisis for personal gain, fabricating hundreds of thousands of Covid-19 tests – then billing the taxpayer for it,” Assistant Attorney General Colin M McDonald, head of the Justice Department’s Fraud Division, said.

Patel faces five counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum prison sentence of 20 years if convicted. The charges remain allegations, and he is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.

In the separate UK case, Jogesh Bhandari was sentenced to eight years in prison after failing to attend his sentencing hearing and subsequently being arrested. His wife, Meena, received a two-year suspended sentence and was ordered to complete 250 hours of unpaid community work. Their associate, Craig Morris, 43, was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.

The UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) found that the group falsely claimed they could supply protective equipment during the pandemic, when demand for medical supplies was surging.

In one transaction, Bhandari received more than $3.18 million for nitrile gloves intended for US hospitals, but the shipment was never delivered. In another deal, a supplier agreed to a contract worth $1.8 billion after being shown fraudulent documents. The supplier subsequently paid $1.35 million for the first two planned shipments.

Investigators found that the money was diverted into accounts controlled by the group rather than used to fulfil the orders. The proceeds funded luxury cars, including a Porsche, expensive watches, jewellery, holidays and extensive home renovations.