SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Gurpinder Sandhu, 47, of Hercules, was sentenced today by United States District Judge Garland E. Burrell, Jr. to nine years in prison for possession of device-making equipment and aggravated identity theft, United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner announced.
According to court documents, in September 2014 law enforcement began investigating reports of numerous vehicles fraudulently purchased with stolen identities from car dealerships throughout the Northern and Eastern Districts of California. The investigation led to Sandhu’s residence, where law enforcement located three of the fraudulently obtained vehicles: a 2014 Nissan Rogue, a 2014 Dodge Challenger, and a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
Inside Sandhu’s residence, law enforcement agents found many counterfeit items, including credit cards and California driver licenses. Law enforcement agents also found device-making equipment to manufacture these counterfeit items. This equipment included an embossing machine, cameras, printers, scanners, materials and chemicals used to produce identification cards, state seals, and a blue backdrop on the wall to imitate a California Department of Motor Vehicles ID photo background. Agents also found documents containing the names of real people, such as rental agreements, Comcast bills and sales receipts.
Based on the fraudulent documents found in the apartment, law enforcement identified at least 50 victims of identity theft. Sandhu and a co-defendant, used these identities to fraudulently purchase vehicles from car dealerships and retail goods from commercial stores such as Macy’s.
Sandhu succeeded in getting at least seven vehicles in this manner. In addition to the three vehicles named above, Sandhu fraudulently obtained a 2013 Yamaha motorcycle, a 2010 Chevrolet Corvette, a 2013 Dodge Challenger and a 2013 Dodge Charger.
This case was the product of an investigation by the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) and the California Highway Patrol. Special Assistant United States Attorney Josh F. Sigal prosecuted the case.
Sandhu was also ordered to pay $45,115 in restitution. He has remained in custody since his arrest on March 6, 2015. Charges remain pending against co-defendant Simone Aguilar, who is next scheduled to appear in court on April 8, 2016. The charges are only allegations; the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.