A 10-month investigation by the San Bernardino County District Attorney Workers’ Compensation Insurance Fraud Unit and the California Department of Industrial Relations concluded with the arrest of an Oak Hills business owner.
Bhagwant Singh, 42, is charged with four felony counts of tax evasion and eight misdemeanor counts including conducting business as an uninsured employer and resisting arrest.
If convicted, Singh faces six years of incarceration and $20,000 in fines, as well as restitution for all back unemployment taxes owed.
According to the complaint, Singh, the owner of A&J Shippers, Inc. and Los Angeles Express Trucking Companies in Hesperia, allegedly failed to have workers’ compensation insurance for his employees and failed to pay employee state payroll taxes.
“This type of investigation works toward unraveling the underground economy,” said Alan Barcelona, president of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA). CSLEA members include investigators in the Department of Industrial Relations. “By targeting business owners who break the law, our CSLEA members who investigate this type of crime are working to build a stronger economy and to level the playing field for law abiding business owners.”
Singh’s bail was set at $150,000. He is scheduled to be arraigned May 29.
