Fresno Man Pleads Guilty to Paycheck Protection Program Loan Fraud

Source: Office of United States Attorneys

FRESNO, Calif. — Gurjeet Bath, 37, of Fresno, pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of theft of government property, Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced.

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 over $1 million. To obtain the loans, Bath knowingly falsified records to inflate his businesses’ employees and their wages. Bath then used approximately $600,000 of those funds to purchase two parcels of agricultural land in Fresno County.

This case is the product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with assistance from the Small Business Administration (SBA) Office of Inspector General. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey A. Spivak is prosecuting the case.

Bath is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston on Oct. 6, 2025. Bath faces a maximum statutory penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.