Amardeep Singh Agrees to 450,000 Donation to Resolve COVID PPE Price-Gouging Criminal Case
September 25, 2020 - NYC Indian and Plainview, NY retail store owner Amardeep Singh (45) entered into a Deferred Prosecution Agreement with United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York today to resolve the COVID-19 price gouging criminal case under Defense Production Act.
According to the terms of Deferred Prosecution Agreement, Amardeep Singh will donate COVID Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) valued at more than $450,000 to hospitals, health care providers, first responders and other essential workers involved with addressing the needs of those affected by the pandemic and working to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
Amardeep Singh a.k.a Bobby Singh co-owns and operates a network of retail entities (Singh Entities) - Warehouse Liquidation Center (WLC Mart) S&S Sports that sell sneakers, clothing and other apparel with Bobby Sidana.
Amardeep Singh was the first person to be chargedis it in nation violating the Defense Production Act after accumulating merchandise, some of which had been officially designated as scarce, at his retail store in Plainview, and at a warehouse in Brentwood, including 40 shipments of disposable face masks weighing more than 1.6 tons, 14 shipments of disposable surgical gowns weighing more than 2.2 tons, six shipments of hand sanitizer weighing more than 1.8 tons and seven shipments of digital thermometers weighing approximately 253 pounds.
Amardeep Singh was charged on April 24, 20 for hoarding scarce COVID-19 essentials and selling them to public at inflated prices.
The April 24, 2020 charges against NYC Indian Amardeep Singh filed through a criminal complaint in Central Islip federal court include:
- Violating the Defense Production Act of 1950 by hoarding personal protective equipment (“PPE”) at a warehouse in Brentwood, New York, amid the COVID-19 pandemic
- Price-gouging customers of his retail store in Plainview, New York
.....beginning in mid-March 2020, Singh — who operates a retail store selling sneakers and apparel — began accumulating that merchandise at his store and a nearby warehouse. At the same time, he set aside a section of his store for so-called “COVID-19 Essentials,” which he then sold to the public at inflated prices, including but not limited to N-95 filtering face piece respirators, PPE face masks, PPE surgical masks, PPE face shields, PPE gloves, PPE coveralls, medical gowns and clinical-grade sanitizing and disinfecting products.
Between March 25, 2020 and April 8, 2020, Singh allegedly received deliveries at his retail store and warehouse of 40 shipments of disposable face masks weighing more than 1.6 tons, 14 shipments of disposable surgical gowns weighing more than 2.2 tons, six shipments of hand sanitizer weighing more than 1.8 tons and seven shipments of digital thermometers weighing approximately 253 pounds. These and other items — some of which had been officially designated as scarce — were advertised and sold at Singh’s retail store at prices far in excess of prevailing market prices. For example, records obtained during a judicially-authorized search of the store indicate that three-ply disposable face masks that Singh purchased for a per-unit price of $0.07 were resold by Singh for a per-unit price of $1.00 — a markup of approximately 1,328 percent. The seized records also reveal that Singh completed bulk sales at inflated prices to organizations serving vulnerable senior citizens and children battling the virus.
On April 14, 2020, Postal Inspectors executed a search warrant at Singh’s retail store and a consensual search of the warehouse and seized 23 pallets containing more than 100,000 face masks, 10,000 surgical gowns, nearly 2,500 full-body isolation suits and more than 500,000 pairs of disposable gloves.