US Indian Property owner Charged with Fraud & Conspiracy

US Indian property owner Raghvendra ‘Raj’ Singh, aged 56, was arrested on June 21, 2019, on multiple charges of fraud and conspiracy.

The Sacramento, California resident owned dozens of properties while claiming to be in poverty.

Singh’s wife, 57-year-old Kiran Rawat faces similar charges. Both were booked into Sacramento County Jail with bail set $250,000.

Jail booking records have stated that the couple will not be allowed to post bail unless they can prove the money comes from a legitimate source.

An 18-count complaint was filed by the Sacramento County District Attorney’s office.

It stated Singh and Rawat fraudulently deeded two properties they own to a made-up person to avoid penalties imposed by Elk Grove and Sacramento County.

They also lied about serving legal papers in lawsuits they were involved in.

A written statement alleged that a rental home in Elk Grove owned by Rawat was the focus of a lawsuit in 2018. It related to drug activity and other public inconveniences.

According to the statement, a second property owned by Rawat in Sacramento faced enforcement action.

It was alleged that two days before the trial regarding the property in Elk Grove, Rawat deeded both properties to a non-existent person.

Singh told an investigator that a paralegal had recorded the two deeds on January 17, 2019, however, he could not remember the paralegal’s name.

But, surveillance footage from the county recorder’s office revealed it was actually Singh who recorded the documents.

The complaint also stated that the couple filed several “proof of service” documents in various lawsuits when the process server was actually non-existent.

In the past, Singh had been identified by the California court system for filing insignificant lawsuits. As a result, he cannot file lawsuits without prior judicial approval.

Singh has sued the Sacramento Police Department for towing his parked car on a city street.

He also sued city and county code enforcement officers for trying to make him repair hazardous properties including a home where a woman died in a fire.

Singh has also previously sued environmental regulators who were attempting to prevent toxic chemicals at a former dump site he owned from contaminating a nearby creek.

Not only have the taxpayers been paying the bill for their local governments to defend themselves from the lawsuits, but they have also been paying Singh’s court costs.

Documents filed in court show that Singh regularly pleads poverty to obtain fee waivers. This saves him hundreds of dollars per case.

In one case in 2010, Singh stated that he owned nothing of value and that his total earnings over the past 12 months was $200 in disability payments.

However, an IRS audit of Singh’s 2010 tax return showed that his modified adjusted gross income was $594,393, including $31,000 in disability benefits.

Property records showed that the US Indian property owner received tax bills at his Fort Sutter post office box for 24 properties.

The properties were based in Sacramento, Placer and El Dorado. They were all held in his wife’s name or in various trusts.

Singh was also arrested in 2014 on a Nevada felony warrant. He was charged with trafficking marijuana out of a motel he owned in Schurz, Nevada. The charges were later dropped.