Jogesh Bhandari, 59, his wife Meenakashi Bhandari, 48, and Craig Morris, 43, have been found guilty of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation and money laundering. The trio duped major American companies into paying millions for personal protective equipment (PPE) during the Covid-19 pandemic that was never delivered.
Lavish spending on luxury goods
The Bhandaris, from Loughborough, Leicestershire, spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on Rolex watches, other jewellery, and a £126,000 Porsche. Jogesh Bhandari also bought an Audi A5, a Land Rover Discovery, and a VW Golf. Additional funds were used for a kitchen refurbishment and extensive home improvements on their Mitchell Drive home.
Morris, from Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, received £200,000 from the fraud proceeds. The convictions follow a five-week trial at Leicester Crown Court, concluding on July 15, 2026. Sentencing is scheduled for August 21 at the same court.
How the fraud operated
In November 2020, Jogesh Bhandari agreed to supply 12 million boxes of gloves to a company. The victim paid into an escrow account controlled by Frank Labruzzo, a corrupt US assistant attorney general in Louisiana. Instead of holding the funds, the money was immediately transferred to Labruzzo, Bhandari, and other entities.
A month later, Bhandari received $2.7 million into the account and withdrew nearly $500,000 to pay off his and his wife's debts. He used forged documents, including bank statements showing up to $125 million and letters of attestation, to convince suppliers of his legitimacy.
Final deals and arrests
In early 2021, Bhandari was paid over $3.18 million for nitrile gloves meant for US hospitals that never arrived. His final fraud, in late 2021, involved a $1.8 billion deal. Labruzzo provided a fraudulent letter claiming Bhandari had deposited $35 million as security. The victim paid $1.35 million for the first two shipments, which went directly into Bhandari's business account, controlled by his wife.
The fraud unravelled after a falling out between the Bhandaris and Morris. Nearly 50,000 WhatsApp messages and emails were exchanged among the defendants. All three were arrested in February 2023. Labruzzo has already been convicted in the US.
NCA statement
Paul Boniface, operations manager at the National Crime Agency, said: "The Covid-19 pandemic was a time of uncertainty for the world, and the increased need for PPE equipment was sudden. This gave fraudsters like the Bhandaris and Morris an opportunity to target businesses and line their own pockets. Bhandari and his co-conspirators capitalised on these vulnerabilities by exploiting people and businesses for their own financial gain, paying for lavish lifestyles of luxury cars and significant home improvements."
Boniface added: "Fraud like this diverts essential equipment away from genuine organisations and the effects are far reaching, beyond immediate losses for the legitimate businesses involved. The NCA will continue to target fraudsters like these who cause significant harm to the UK economy."
