A group of fraudsters involved in a personal protective equipment (PPE) scam during the Covid-19 pandemic squandered hundreds of thousands of pounds on high-end vehicles, expensive watches, and home upgrades. On Wednesday, Jogesh Bhandari, 59, and Craig Morris, 43, were convicted at Leicester Crown Court for conspiracy to commit fraud and for handling criminal property. A third individual, 48-year-old Meenakashi Bhandari, was found guilty of concealing and transferring illegal gains.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) revealed that the suspects falsely promised to deliver millions of boxes of nitrile gloves. Bank records indicated that Jogesh and Meenakashi Bhandari utilized the illicit funds to purchase Rolex watches, jewelry, luxury cars, and various holiday trips. Specifically, Jogesh spent £126,000 on a Porsche and funded a kitchen remodel. Evidence included thousands of WhatsApp messages between the pair, where they openly discussed the business opportunity created by the global PPE shortage.
Jogesh Bhandari operated a company established in 2020 to trade gloves, while Morris facilitated several fraudulent transactions. To deceive potential clients, Jogesh provided forged bank statements and letters of attestation. The operation also involved a fraudulent escrow service facilitated by Frank Labruzzo, a US attorney who was later convicted in the United States. Despite collecting millions of dollars for shipments to US hospitals, the orders were never fulfilled. All three were apprehended in February 2023 and are awaiting sentencing on August 21.
