Connect with us

Crime

Bakersfield Dentist Admits Stealing $500K in COVID Relief Funds

Published

on

A dentist with practices in Bakersfield and Santa Barbara pleaded guilty Monday, Aug. 21, 2023, to stealing $500,000 in federal COVID relief funds. (Shutterstock)
Share with friends

Ranjan Rajbanshi, a dentist with practices in Bakersfield and Santa Barbara, is staring into the teeth of a federal prison sentence.

On Monday, the 46-year-old Rajbanshi pleaded guilty in Fresno federal court to stealing $500,000 in COVID relief funds, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced in a news release.

According to court records, Rajbanshi received more than $850,000 in COVID-19 relief money from the Small Business Administration and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from April 2020 through February 2022.

Agrees to Repay Stolen Funds

In his applications, Rajbanshi told the government that he would only use the relief money for specified business purposes such as facility costs, payroll, and protective equipment.

However, Rajbanshi admitted that he used $500,000 for improper personal expenditures such as investments. He has agreed to pay that money back to the government before his sentencing.

This case stems from an investigation by the FBI, the SBA Office of Inspector General, and the HHS Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Robin Tubesing are prosecuting the case.

Rajbanshi is scheduled for sentencing by U.S. District Judge Ana de Alba on Dec. 4, 2023.

He faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. But the sentence will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of statutory factors and federal sentencing guidelines.

How to Report Tips on COVID Fraud

The U.S. Attorney General established the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force in 2021 to marshal DOJ resources in partnership with other agencies in a crackdown on pandemic-related fraud.

Anyone with a tip about suspected COVID-19 fraud can call the DOJ’s National Center for Disaster Fraud Hotline at 866-720-5721 or via the NCDF Web Complaint Form at this link.

 

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

Continue Reading
Advertisement GVwire