CHANDIGARH: An Indian-origin grocery store owner, 64-year-old Manjit Singh Bedi, who was on the FBI’s ‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’ list, has been handed over to the United States by India, a month after he was arrested by the Punjab Police. He will now face charges of defrauding a US food aid programme of at least USD 600,000.
It is learnt that Bedi landed back in Seattle this week in the custody of US authorities and is scheduled to make his initial court appearance on Friday. Bedi is the fifth person on the list to be caught since the FBI announced his arrest in September.
FBI Director Kash Patel announced this on social media. He wrote on X, “BACK IN THE US — Manjit Singh Bedi, one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters, arrested in September in India. This marks yet another significant moment for the historic FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters programme. Bedi is one of six Most Wanted Fraudsters captured since the creation of the new list three months ago — and yet another high-value target captured overseas — in a group responsible for a combined over $2 billion in fraud and on the run for almost 4,000 days collectively prior to arrest. He is charged with defrauding the US of at least $600k in SNAP funds from approximately 2024 to 2025, and now will face justice for his alleged crimes. Thank you to our outstanding partners for their assistance in this case.”
Patel said the FBI has secured 260 extraditions and removals over the past 20 months, an increase of more than 70 per cent over the previous 20-month period. He credited partnerships with foreign law enforcement agencies.
The announcement did not say how the extradition process was completed. The allegations against Bedi have not been tested in court in the US.
Prosecutors allege that Bedi engaged in ‘trafficking’ Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits. According to the indictment, he swiped beneficiaries’ Electronic Benefit Transfer (EBT) cards for fraudulent food purchases, returned half the value in cash to the cardholders, and kept the rest.
Bedi, a resident of Kent, Washington, previously owned an Asian grocery store in Tacoma. He is accused of defrauding the US government of at least USD 600,000 in food assistance benefits between 2024 and 2025.
Bedi was indicted in April on six counts of wire fraud, to which he pleaded not guilty. Following the indictment, federal authorities said he fled to Canada before escaping to India, his home country.
The US Attorney’s Office said it would ask the court to keep Bedi in custody before trial, citing his demonstrated means and willingness to flee. Commenting on the case, USDA Inspector General John Walk said Bedi “stole from Americans who truly needed help”, adding that his grocery store operated like a money-laundering front.
According to the Justice Department, Bedi pleaded not guilty on April 22 and fled to India within a week. He was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list on September 3, and “law enforcement in India quickly took Bedi into custody”.
“I commend the work of the FBI and international partners to get Bedi back to the US to face justice. We will ask the court to detain him pending trial as he has demonstrated he has the will and the means to flee. Those who take advantage of America’s generosity must be held accountable,” said Acting US Attorney Neil Floyd.
Wire fraud and SNAP benefit fraud are each punishable by up to 20 years in prison and a USE 250,000 fine.