Jatinderjeet “Jyoti” Sihota, 40, from Selma, received a one-year prison sentence for conspiring to commit crop insurance fraud, as announced by Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Court documents reveal that Sihota's family farm, producing table grapes and other crops in Fresno and Tulare Counties, sold much of its produce through a fruit packing company where Ralph Hackett, 69, of Clovis, held a managerial role. Sihota joined the family business in 2012, and from that year until 2016, she and Hackett orchestrated a scheme to improperly obtain over $650,000 in crop insurance payments. They fabricated records underreporting sales to make it appear that their farm suffered major crop losses, which was false.
Emails and other evidence point to Sihota as the mastermind of the fraud. She urged Hackett to manipulate the records, guided him on the changes needed, and requested confidentiality. Sihota also reached out to other fruit brokers to alter records, but they declined.
The investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General and Risk Management Agency Special Investigations Staff, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Barton prosecuting.
Hackett faces separate charges and has pleaded guilty for his participation. His sentencing is scheduled for May 27, 2025, with a potential maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. The final sentence will be determined by the court, considering statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines.