Copyright held by The John Cooke Fraud Report. Reprint rights are granted with attribution to The John Cooke Fraud Report with a link to this website.
EDITOR’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING CAME IN AS A LETTER TO THE EDITOR, BUT WE FELT IT DESERVED A SEPARATE PLACEMENT BECAUSE IT WAS JUST SO DARN DESPICABLE.
Dear Editor,
We would like to nominate the defendant in this case as the “Crumb of the Year” award winner.
The defendant, Harjeet Singh, 34, pleaded guilty to insurance fraud and operating a business without workers’ compensation insurance. He was scheduled to be sentenced on August 24, 1995.
On November 9, 1994, two ski-masked, armed robbers entered the defendant’s doughnut shop in Salinas, California. Mr. Singh directed the robbers to an employee, Erasmo Estrada Rico, 27, telling the robbers that Rico was the owner. The robbers then focused on Rico, ordering him to open the cash register. Rico was not able to open the cash register; his duties were only to make doughnuts and he had never been taught how to open the cash register. His inability angered the robbers—who then shot Rico, hitting him in the spine and paralyzing him from the waist down.
The robbers fled and Singh ran over to the victim, who had fallen on the floor, and tried to drag him out of the store. Singh later reported to his insurance company that Rico was a customer.
Investigation by the Salinas Police Department determined that Rico was, in fact, an employee whom Singh was paying “under the table.” These developments led to a warrant being issued for Singh.
Sincerely,
Dean D. Flippo
District Attorney
Monterey County
Vern Gardner
Investigator
© Copyright 1995 Alikim Media