Key facts
- Craig Morris was jailed for three years and nine months for his role in a PPE scam.
- Morris and Jogesh Bhandari defrauded US and German medical companies by falsely claiming to supply millions of nitrile gloves.
- The fraudulent deals were conducted under a company called Banton.
- Jogesh Bhandari allegedly obtained and kept £1.75 million, while Meenakshi Bhandari laundered £960,000.
- Morris and Bhandari used the illicit funds to purchase luxury cars, holidays, and property.
- An attorney in the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, Frank Labruzzo, provided a fraudulent escrow service and has been convicted in the US.
Craig Morris has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for his involvement in a multi-million pound scam that exploited the desperate shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Morris, 43, and Jogesh Bhandari, 60, were convicted of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and concealing and transferring criminal property. They pretended to be major players in the PPE market and offered millions of boxes of nitrile gloves to US company Med18 and German firm MedTech, despite having no such stock.
During the sentencing at Northampton Crown Court, Judge William Harbage KC noted that the pandemic required sacrifices from society, but some individuals, motivated by greed, sought to exploit the situation. He stated that both Bhandari and Morris fell into this category.
Morris, of Forest Drive in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, was described by prosecutor Michael Bisgrove as working for Bhandari, who was considered the "driving force and the instigator" of the fraud. The illicit gains were used to purchase luxury cars, holidays, and a new home. The court heard that Bhandari obtained and kept £1.75 million, while his wife, Meenakshi Bhandari, 58, laundered £960,000.
Meenakshi Bhandari was given a two-year prison sentence, suspended for two years, along with 250 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity, after being found guilty of concealing and transferring criminal property. She attended the sentencing hearing, unlike her husband.
Jogesh Bhandari, of Mitchell Drive, Loughborough, Leicestershire, did not attend his sentencing, with his counsel stating he was taking "very extreme painkillers" after a recent pacemaker fitting. Judge Harbage found no medical evidence to support his absence and issued a bench warrant, with sentencing expected on October 16.
The National Crime Agency (NCA) stated that Jogesh Bhandari had been making regular £5,000 payments to Morris before they fell out in late 2021. The agency also noted that Bhandari had collaborated with US attorney Frank Labruzzo, who provided a fraudulent escrow service and has since been convicted and sentenced in the US.