Tip leads investigators to Fresno trucking company’s alleged $2.5 million payroll scheme

Family members who own and operate a California trucking company are facing felony charges after investigators reported discovering millions of dollars worth of underreported payroll.

On October 11, Karamjit Nijjar, 57, his wife Rajinder Kaur Nijjar, 55, and their daughter Mandip Nijjar, 31, were each charged with four felony counts related to an alleged workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme, according to the California Department of Insurance (CDI).

Karamjit and Rajinder Nijjar own and operate Renteria Trucking. Their daughter Mandip Nijjar is an employee at the trucking company.

An investigation began when authorities received a tip that an employee of a Fresno area trucking company owned by Karamjit Nijjar was denied workers’ compensation benefits.

During the course of that investigation, the Central Valley Workers’ Compensation Fraud Task Force identified Renteria Trucking as another trucking company owned by Karamjit Nijjar.

Investigators discovered that while Renteria Trucking paid out more than $5 million in employee payroll, they reported only about $2,475,000 in employee payroll during their routine payroll audits.

The underreported payroll amount of $2,577,035 resulted in the reduction of workers’ compensation insurance premiums paid, according to CDI.

Karamjit Nijjar, Rajinder Kaur Nijjar, and Mandip Nijjar have pleaded not guilty to the charges and are scheduled to appear in court on on November 15, 2022.