Two Indian nationals have been found guilty in the US of conspiring to steal cargo by using legitimate trucking companies to secure shipping contracts and then taking the goods without delivering them to their intended destinations.
Get breaking news anytime, anywhere. Download the TOI app now!
According to the US Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, Arshpreet Singh, 28, of Sacramento, and Vikramjeet Singh, 31, of Fontana, were found guilty after a seven-day jury trial. Arshpreet was also convicted of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, while both men were found guilty of conspiracy to commit theft from interstate or foreign shipments.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy operated from March 2024 to June 2025. Singh and his co-conspirators allegedly acquired established trucking companies or fraudulently used them to obtain genuine shipping contracts. After collecting the cargo, they allegedly kept the goods instead of completing the deliveries.
The stolen shipments included televisions, laptops, appliances and other high-value consumer goods. Vacuums, LED lights, shoes and tyres were also taken, with the losses estimated at at least $2 million.
The thefts occurred across Southern California, including Fontana, Vernon, Santa Fe Springs, Perris, City of Industry, Long Beach, Compton, Commerce, Pico Rivera, Chino and Moreno Valley. A shipment was also stolen in Grand Prairie, Texas.
In one case, Arshpreet Singh allegedly agreed to buy Texas-based carrier Z&F Transportation LLC for about $22,000 in March 2024. Later that month, a co-conspirator acting for the company collected a shipment of televisions in Fontana that was meant for delivery to Florida but never reached its destination.
Another trucking company, Skyways Trucking LLC, was purchased by co-conspirators in May 2024, prosecutors said. Loads including laptops, televisions and solar panels were subsequently booked through freight brokers, including Uber Freight, before the cargo was allegedly taken instead of delivered.
Vikramjeet Singh was acquitted of a separate charge of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.
US District Judge Anne Hwang has scheduled sentencing for January 20 next year. Arshpreet Singh faces a statutory maximum of 20 years in federal prison, while Vikramjeet Singh faces a maximum of five years.
