New York tax preparer sentenced to two years in prison

Summary

A press release published 2025-05-09 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Virginia announcing that Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr. sentenced Baltej Singh Brar, 42, of South Richmond Hill, New York, to two years in prison for making false statements on PPP loan applications submitted for clients. According to court documents as described in the release, Brar owned Aspire Tax & Accounting Services Inc. and advertised, including on TikTok, that Brar would file PPP applications for a flat up-front fee plus 10% of the loan value. It states that where clients' prior incomes fell below the threshold for the maximum loan of $20,833, Brar inflated the income figures and submitted fabricated IRS forms. The office states that Brar caused the SBA at least $550,000 in actual losses, and gives the case as Case No. 3:24-cr-148.

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RICHMOND, Va. – A New York man was sentenced today to two years in prison for making false statements on loan applications he submitted on behalf of his clients through a pandemic relief program.
According to court documents, Baltej Singh Brar, 42, of South Richmond Hill, New York, owned and operated Aspire Tax & Accounting Services Inc., a tax preparation, accounting, and consulting firm where Brar was an Internal Revenue Service (IRS) registered tax preparer. In 2021, Brar began filing loan applications on behalf of other individuals through the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), a COVID-19 relief program intended to provide loans backed by the Small Business Administration (SBA) to certain businesses, nonprofit organizations, and others to help them remain afloat during the pandemic.
Brar advertised, including on TikTok, that he would file PPP loan applications on behalf of clients in exchange for a flat up-front fee paired with 10% of the loan value after the loan was approved. Brar instructed prospective PPP applicants to provide him with their Social Security number, a copy of their driver’s license, email address, prior bank statements, 2019 tax return, and a void check to be used as supporting documentation on applications.
Most of Brar’s clients were sole proprietors, including taxi drivers, truck drivers, and construction workers. Where clients’ prior year incomes fell below the threshold to receive the maximum PPP loan amount of $20,833, Brar falsely inflated the income amounts in the PPP applications to trigger the maximum loan amount. Brar generated and submitted false and fabricated IRS forms as supporting documentation. Brar certified on each application that the information provided in the applications and supporting documents and forms was “true and accurate in all material respects.”
Many of Brar’s clients were eligible to receive PPP loans, though not in the inflated amounts of the PPP loan applications that Brar prepared. Others were not entitled to receive PPP loans at all. Across the hundreds of PPP loan applications that Brar falsified, Brar caused the SBA at least $550,000 in actual losses.
Erik S. Siebert, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; Patricia Tarasca, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation Office of Inspector General, New York Field Office; Harry Chavis, Special Agent in Charge of the Internal Revenue Service Criminal Investigation, New York Field Office; Edward Gallashaw, Acting Inspector in Charge of the United States Postal Inspection Service, New York Division; Brian Tucker, Special Agent in Charge of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System and Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Office of Inspector General, Eastern Region; Patrick J. Freaney, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Secret Service, New York Field Office; and Amaleka McCall-Brathwaite, Eastern Region Special Agent in Charge for the Small Business Administration Office of Inspector General, made the announcement after sentencing by Senior U.S. District Judge John A. Gibney Jr.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Avi Panth prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the
U.S. Attorney’s Office
for the Eastern District of Virginia. Related court documents and information are located on the website of the
District Court
for the Eastern District of Virginia or on
PACER
by searching for Case No. 3:24-cr-148.

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