Defendant given extra prison time for failing to self-surrender for first sentence

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Damanpreet Singh, 34, of Los Angeles, was sentenced today by U.S. District Judge Garland E. Burrell Jr. to nine additional months in prison for failing to self-surrender to serve his prison sentence, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced.

According to court documents, on Sept. 14, 2018, Singh was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to commit bribery, identity fraud and unauthorized access of a computer. He was ordered to self-surrender to begin serving his prison sentence on Jan. 4, 2019. Rather than turn himself in, however, Singh purposefully took steps to remain out of custody. He stopped answering his phones and drove a rental car to avoid detection.

When he was eventually arrested at the Burbank Airport on March 13, 2019, Singh lied to officers about who he was in order to remain out of custody.

This case was a product of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Rosanne L. Rust prosecuted the case.