Man convicted of Covid PPE fraud sentenced to nearly four years, wife receives suspended term

During a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court, Craig Morris and his employer Jogesh Bhandari were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and of laundering the proceeds from fraudulent PPE contracts. They fabricated deals claiming to provide large quantities of nitrile gloves to US company Med18 and German firm MedTech, despite having no stock, and used the illicit proceeds to purchase luxury vehicles, watches and a house.

After the trial, Northampton Crown Court sentenced Morris to three years and nine months in prison, while Meenakshi Bhandari, Jogesh Bhandari’s wife, received a two-year suspended sentence, 250 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity. Jogesh Bhandari was absent from the sentencing hearing, citing recent pacemaker surgery and medication, and a bench warrant was issued for his arrest pending a later sentencing date.

Prosecutors described Bhandari as the “driving force” behind the scheme, which netted roughly £1.75 million for him and £960,000 for Meenakshi Bhandari. The fraud was investigated by the National Crime Agency, and related US convictions involved a former Louisiana assistant attorney general who provided a fraudulent escrow service.