UK Fraudster Jailed for £1.75m PPE Scam Exploiting Pandemic Shortages

A man who helped orchestrate a multi-million pound fraud involving fake personal protective equipment (PPE) deals during the Covid-19 pandemic has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison.

Craig Morris, 43, was jailed at Northampton Crown Court on Wednesday for his role in a conspiracy that fleeced medical supply companies in the United States and Germany out of millions of pounds. His co-defendant, Jogesh Bhandari, 60, was due to be sentenced at the same hearing but failed to appear, prompting the judge to issue a bench warrant.

The pair were convicted at Leicester Crown Court in July on two counts of conspiracy to commit fraud by false representation, along with charges of concealing and transferring criminal property. Bhandari's wife, Meenakashi Bhandari, 58, a former pharmacist, was also found guilty of concealing and transferring criminal property and received a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, 250 hours of unpaid work and 15 days of rehabilitation activity.

The court heard that the fraud was carried out under the guise of a company called Banton, through which the men posed as major players in the PPE market. Prosecutor Michael Bisgrove told the court that Jogesh Bhandari was the "driving force and the instigator" of the offending, while Morris, of Forest Drive in Lytham St Annes, Lancashire, was "very much working for him."

Bisgrove explained that the offences occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic, at a time when there was a desperate shortage of personal protective equipment. He said the offenders saw an opportunity to make money by fraud amid that shortage. The court heard they pretended to have PPE for sale and to be able to buy vast amounts of it, sending contracts for equipment they did not possess to US company Med18 and German firm MedTech.

In the course of the fraud, the conspirators took millions of pounds which they used for their own benefit, purchasing cars, luxury goods and property. The court heard that the Bhandaris also used the money to pay off family debt, while Morris bought a house.

According to the National Crime Agency (NCA), the value of money Jogesh Bhandari obtained and kept in the course of the fraud was £1.75 million, while Meenakshi laundered money to the value of £960,000. Morris had been receiving regular £5,000 payments from Jogesh Bhandari before the two men fell out at the end of 2021.

The NCA said Jogesh Bhandari worked with Frank Labruzzo, an attorney in the Louisiana Attorney General's Office, who provided a fraudulent escrow service — a bank account which holds funds until pre-arranged conditions are met. The court heard that Labruzzo and another person involved have been convicted and sentenced in the United States.

Jogesh Bhandari, of Mitchell Drive, Loughborough, Leicestershire, told his counsel he was taking a "very extreme painkiller" after having a pacemaker fitted last week and was not able to travel to Northampton for the sentencing hearing. His wife did attend the hearing.

Judge William Harbage KC said there was "no medical evidence" to properly explain Jogesh Bhandari's absence and said a bench warrant would be issued. He is expected to be sentenced on 16 October.

Sentencing Morris and Meenakshi Bhandari, Judge Harbage said the pandemic was a time when "all of us had to make sacrifices and pull together for the good of society as a whole." He added that there were a few people who sought to exploit that to make money for themselves, motivated by greed, and said he was satisfied that Jogesh Bhandari and Craig Morris fell into that category.

The case highlights the scale of fraudulent activity that emerged during the pandemic, when unprecedented demand for PPE and disrupted global supply chains created fertile ground for criminal exploitation. The NCA has previously warned that organised crime groups moved quickly to capitalise on the crisis, targeting buyers who were desperate to secure equipment for frontline health workers.

The convictions also underscore the international reach of such schemes, with US authorities securing convictions against Labruzzo and another individual involved in the fraudulent escrow arrangement. The cross-border nature of the operation required coordination between UK and US investigators to trace the movement of funds and identify those responsible.

The sentencing of Morris and Meenakshi Bhandari brings a partial conclusion to the case, though Jogesh Bhandari's absence means the final chapter will not be written until October. Legal observers noted that the issuing of a bench warrant signals the court's determination to proceed with sentencing despite the defendant's non-attendance.

For the victims — Med18 in the United States and MedTech in Germany — the fraud represented not only financial loss but also a betrayal of trust at a time when medical supply chains were under extraordinary strain. The companies had sought to procure nitrile gloves and other protective equipment to meet urgent needs, only to find themselves caught in a sophisticated deception.

The case serves as a reminder of the importance of due diligence in procurement, particularly during periods of crisis when the pressure to secure supplies can lead buyers to overlook warning signs. Authorities have consistently urged businesses to verify the legitimacy of suppliers and to be wary of deals that appear too good to be true.

The National Crime Agency's involvement in the investigation reflects its role in tackling serious and organised crime, including fraud that crosses international borders. The agency worked alongside prosecutors to build a case that resulted in convictions for all three defendants, with two now sentenced and one awaiting his fate.

As the pandemic recedes, courts continue to process a backlog of fraud cases linked to Covid-era schemes. The Banton case is among the more significant prosecutions, given the amounts involved and the elaborate nature of the deception. It remains to be seen whether the sentences handed down will serve as a sufficient deterrent to others who might seek to exploit future emergencies for personal gain.

Morris will now begin serving his prison term, while Meenakshi Bhandari will carry out her suspended sentence in the community. Jogesh Bhandari, described by prosecutors as the architect of the fraud, remains at large pending his sentencing hearing in October.