Ranjan Rajbanshi, D.D.S., 46, of Bakersfield and Santa Barbara, pleaded guilty [Monday] to stealing $500,000 in COVID-19 relief money, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.
According to court records, Rajbanshi ran a dental practice in Bakersfield and Santa Barbara. From April 2020 through February 2022, he received over $850,000 in COVID-19 relief money from the Small Business Administration (SBA) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). He represented to the government that he would only use the relief money for specified business purposes such as facility costs, payroll, and protective equipment for him and his staff.
Rajbanshi subsequently used $500,000 of the relief money for improper personal expenditures such as investments. He has agreed to pay that money back to the government before his sentencing.
This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the SBA Office of Inspector General, and HHS Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph Barton and Robin Tubesing are prosecuting the case.
Source: Santa Barbara dentist pleads guilty to stealing $500K in COVID relief / edhat.com