Defendant Charged in West Covina Rental Property Scheme Faces 29 New Counts

Defendant Charged in West Covina
Rental Property Scheme Faces
29 New Counts

May 7, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contacts: Joe Scott, Director of Communications
Sandi Gibbons, Public Information Officer
Jane Robison, News Secretary
(213) 974-3525

WEST COVINA – The fugitive landlord who last week was charged with seven counts of grand theft for renting the same property to numerous families now faces 29 new counts.

Deputy District Attorney Charles Hazelton of West Covina Branch Office said the felony complaint for arrest warrant against Pardeep Singh (dob 08/18/77) was amended today to add 29 additional counts of grand theft with allegations that the aggregate loss exceeds $200,000.

Singh, who remains at large, is charged in case No. KA083000. Prosecutors allege that, in addition to the most recent landlord scheme in which Singh allegedly stole $2,400 from each victim, the defendant has been involved in three other financial fraud schemes.

The defendant faces two counts of grand theft for allegedly taking $185,000 between August 1, 2007 and March 31, 2008 from a man who invested in two real estate deals with Singh.

In the first real estate deal, the defendant allegedly took $100,000 from the victim for an investment that would pay $145,000 by September of this year. There is no evidence the investment was ever made, however, prosecutors said. In the second deal, Singh allegedly asked the victim for an additional $85,000 for an investment property that was never purchased.

The complaint also names two victims of grand theft who lost $2,759 through an Ebay time-share scheme allegedly orchestrated by Singh.

The additional 33 counts reflect the number of families who allegedly rented the same property, a single-family home, in unincorporated West Covina from Singh.

Singh faces a maximum prison term of 28 years and four months, if convicted as charged. Bail is set at $3 million.

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