Indian-origin man given extra prison time for failing to self-surrender for first sentence

An Indian-origin man has been sentenced to nine additional months in prison for failing to self-surrender to serve his prison sentence.

Damanpreet Singh, 34, of Los Angeles, was handed down the sentence last week by US District Judge Garland Burrell, US Attorney McGregor Scott said.

According to court documents, in September last year, Singh was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to commit bribery, identity fraud and unauthorised access of a computer. He was ordered to self-surrender to begin serving his prison sentence in January this year.

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 a local airport in March this year, Singh lied to officers about who he was in order to remain out of custody.