Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud

Summary

A press release published 2026-03-23 by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of California announcing that Gurjeet Bath, 37, of Fresno, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 14 months in prison for theft of government property and ordered to pay a $100,000 criminal fine. According to the release, Bath and family members operated two trucking businesses, G.S. Bath Inc. and Complete Transportation Solutions, and in 2020 and 2021 he received three PPP loans totaling more than $1 million after falsifying records to inflate employees and wages. It states that he used the funds to buy two parcels of agricultural land in Fresno County, pleaded guilty on May 27, 2025, and has since repaid the stolen funds.

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Cite this document

“Fresno Man Sentenced to 14 Months in Prison for Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud.” Original at www.justice.gov. Archived at Pandemic Darlings, https://pandemicdarlings.com/source-documents/2026-03-23-fresno-man-sentenced-to-14-months-in-prison-for-paycheck-pr-332865205c/, SHA-256 45327688e9e6d2881b6352bbdb436f1f087659434f9293064d295eba0864d66b.

Full text

FRESNO, Calif. — Gurjeet Bath, 37, of Fresno, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 14 months in prison for theft of government property, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced. Bath was also ordered to pay a $100,000 criminal fine.
“During a time when legitimate businesses were struggling to survive, this defendant chose to exploit a program designed to keep workers employed,” said U.S. Attorney Grant. “He has since pleaded guilty and repaid the stolen funds, but that does not erase the harm caused. Today’s sentence reflects the seriousness of that fraud and our commitment to holding accountable those who abuse programs meant to help our communities in times of crisis.”
“Mr. Gurjeet Bath fabricated employee records and inflated wages to steal more than $825,000 in federal funds meant to keep businesses afloat during a national crisis. Instead, he used that money to buy land in Fresno County. The FBI and our partners at the SBA Office of Inspector General will continue pursuing everyone who treated pandemic relief as a personal slush fund,” said FBI Sacramento Special Agent in Charge Sid Patel.
According to court documents, Bath and other family members operated two trucking businesses: G.S. Bath Inc. and Complete Transportation Solutions (CTS), operating in Fresno County. In 2020 and 2021, Bath applied for and received three PPP loans totaling more than $1 million. To obtain the loans, Bath knowingly falsified records to inflate his businesses’ employees and their wages. Bath then used those funds to purchase two parcels of agricultural land in Fresno County. Bath pleaded guilty on May 27, 2025.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation conducted the investigation with assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton prosecuted the case.

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Our copy: 2026-03-23_fresno-man-sentenced-to-14-months-in-prison-for-paycheck-protection-prog_aa97dc32.md.txt
Original: www.justice.gov