Jatinderjeet “Jyoti” Sihota, 37, of Selma, pleaded guilty to conspiring with Ralph Hackett, 69, of Clovis, to fraudulently obtain over $650,000 in crop insurance payments between 2012 and 2016. (Shutterstock)
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Jatinderjeet “Jyoti” Sihota, 37, of Selma, pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit crop insurance fraud, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert said on Monday.
Sihota was involved in her family’s farming operation, which produced table grapes and other crops in Fresno and Tulare counties.
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The family sold many of these crops through a fruit packing company in which Ralph Hackett, 69, of Clovis, was a member and manager.
The farming operation and the packing company had financial agreements, with the company advancing various costs, which the farm had to repay.
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Between 2012 and 2016, Sihota and Hackett schemed to fraudulently obtain over $650,000 in crop insurance payments. They provided false information to the insurance company, underreporting the crops sold and making it appear the farming operation had suffered significant losses when, in fact, it had not.
Hackett has also pleaded guilty for his role in the fraud and has agreed to pay $650,000 in restitution and an additional $605,000 in a civil settlement.
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He faces sentencing on Jan. 27, 2025. Sihota is scheduled for sentencing on March 3, 2025.
Both defendants face a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison and a fine of up to $250,000.
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