A former city councilman in Red Bluff who pleaded guilty to workers’ compensation fraud and other felonies relating to a hotel he owned in the Northern California city was sentenced to just under one year in jail, the Redding Record Spotlight reported.

Suren Patel

Suren Patel, 44, pleaded guilty in November to not carrying workers’ compensation coverage at his hotel. He also pleaded guilty to failing to pay about $20,000 in taxes he owed to the city, illegally charging $6,000 to the credit card of a hotel customer and falsifying documents so two of his employees could qualify for welfare benefits.

Patel faced up to seven years and eight months in prison.

On Thursday he was given a five-year, eight-month suspended sentence. He was ordered to serve 364 days in jail, perform 80 hours of community service and serve five years of probation.

He was also ordered to pay $12,500 in restitution, which Tehama County District Attorney Gregg Cohen said has already been satisfied, according to the Record Spotlight.