Long Island Man Charged With Hoarding, Price Gouging in Violation of Defense Production Act
The defendant, a Long Island man, is the first person to be charged under the Defense Production Act in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
April 24, 2020 at 03:40 PM
4 minute read
Personal protective equipment is seen on a table in a Brentwood, New York, warehouse, where retailer Amardeep Singh has been hoarding disposable masks, surgical gowns and hand sanitizer, and selling the items at huge markups. Photo: A Bagnuola/U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York via AP
A Long Island man was charged with violating the Defense Production Act on Friday by hoarding personal protective equipment and price-gouging customers, including organizations that needed the equipment to care for vulnerable populations, according to court documents.
Amardeep Singh, 45, of Woodbury, New York, is the first person to be charged under the Defense Production Act in connection with the coronavirus pandemic, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York.
A mannequin outfitted in personal protective equipment stands on a ladder in a Brentwood warehouse. Photo: A Bagnuola/U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York via APPrior to March, Singh sold shoes and apparel from his store in Plainview, New York, according to Friday's complaint. But he began to sell and advertise hand sanitizer and other items associated with coronavirus prevention in March, and an April 14 search of his store and warehouse revealed more than 20,000 N95 respirators, nearly 900,000 disposable gloves and thousands of other masks, face shields and "full-body isolation suits," according to the complaint.
Under the Defense Production Act of 1950, which was invoked by President Donald Trump in an executive order March 18, scarce and critical items cannot be hoarded or resold above the "prevailing market price."
Singh sold many items at a markup of at least 100% above the price at which he acquired them, according to the complaint; one type of disposable mask was resold for more than seven times the price he paid. His customers included nonprofits focused on children and senior citizens, according to the complaint.
The Nassau County Department of Consumer Affairs issued a series of citations to one of Singh's businesses in March, accusing him of "unconscionable trade practices," including repackaging individual N95 masks in Ziploc bags and selling protective gear without appropriate user instructions.
Another of Singh's businesses received a cease and desist letter from the New York Attorney General's Office in early April, warning him about price gouging.
Singh's lawyer, Bradley Gerstman of Gerstman Schwartz, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Singh is expected to self-surrender next week, a spokesman in the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
The case has been assigned to U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Locke, according to court records.
READ MORE:
Corrections Unions Sue New York City, Objecting to 24-Hour Shifts and Lack of Testing
This content has been archived. It is available through our partners, LexisNexis® and Bloomberg Law.
To view this content, please continue to their sites.
Not a Lexis Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
Not a Bloomberg Law Subscriber?
Subscribe Now
NOT FOR REPRINT
© 2025 ALM Global, LLC, All Rights Reserved. Request academic re-use from www.copyright.com. All other uses, submit a request to [email protected]. For more information visit Asset & Logo Licensing.
You Might Like
View All
'You Became a Corrupt Politician': Judge Gives Prison Time to Former Sen. Robert Menendez for Corruption Conviction
5 minute read
Federal Judge Pauses Trump Funding Freeze as Democratic AGs Plan Suit
4 minute read
Trending Stories
Who Got The Work
J. Brugh Lower of Gibbons has entered an appearance for industrial equipment supplier Devco Corporation in a pending trademark infringement lawsuit. The suit, accusing the defendant of selling knock-off Graco products, was filed Dec. 18 in New Jersey District Court by Rivkin Radler on behalf of Graco Inc. and Graco Minnesota. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Zahid N. Quraishi, is 3:24-cv-11294, Graco Inc. et al v. Devco Corporation.
Who Got The Work
Rebecca Maller-Stein and Kent A. Yalowitz of Arnold & Porter Kaye Scholer have entered their appearances for Hanaco Venture Capital and its executives, Lior Prosor and David Frankel, in a pending securities lawsuit. The action, filed on Dec. 24 in New York Southern District Court by Zell, Aron & Co. on behalf of Goldeneye Advisors, accuses the defendants of negligently and fraudulently managing the plaintiff's $1 million investment. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Vernon S. Broderick, is 1:24-cv-09918, Goldeneye Advisors, LLC v. Hanaco Venture Capital, Ltd. et al.
Who Got The Work
Attorneys from A&O Shearman has stepped in as defense counsel for Toronto-Dominion Bank and other defendants in a pending securities class action. The suit, filed Dec. 11 in New York Southern District Court by Bleichmar Fonti & Auld, accuses the defendants of concealing the bank's 'pervasive' deficiencies in regards to its compliance with the Bank Secrecy Act and the quality of its anti-money laundering controls. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Arun Subramanian, is 1:24-cv-09445, Gonzalez v. The Toronto-Dominion Bank et al.
Who Got The Work
Crown Castle International, a Pennsylvania company providing shared communications infrastructure, has turned to Luke D. Wolf of Gordon Rees Scully Mansukhani to fend off a pending breach-of-contract lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 25 in Michigan Eastern District Court by Hooper Hathaway PC on behalf of The Town Residences LLC, accuses Crown Castle of failing to transfer approximately $30,000 in utility payments from T-Mobile in breach of a roof-top lease and assignment agreement. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Susan K. Declercq, is 2:24-cv-13131, The Town Residences LLC v. T-Mobile US, Inc. et al.
Who Got The Work
Wilfred P. Coronato and Daniel M. Schwartz of McCarter & English have stepped in as defense counsel to Electrolux Home Products Inc. in a pending product liability lawsuit. The court action, filed Nov. 26 in New York Eastern District Court by Poulos Lopiccolo PC and Nagel Rice LLP on behalf of David Stern, alleges that the defendant's refrigerators’ drawers and shelving repeatedly break and fall apart within months after purchase. The case, assigned to U.S. District Judge Joan M. Azrack, is 2:24-cv-08204, Stern v. Electrolux Home Products, Inc.
Featured Firms
Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates, P.C.
(470) 294-1674
Law Offices of Mark E. Salomone
(857) 444-6468
Smith & Hassler
(713) 739-1250
