| Stephen J. Oxenhandler (Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa) | |
| Birth Place: | St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America |
Hari Jiwan Singh Khalsa is an American Sikh who is Chief of Protocol for the American Sikh group called Sikh Dharma.[1] In 2000 he was convicted on fraud charges, receiving the nickname "Toner Bandit." He is a member of the Grammy award winning New-Age musical group White Sun.
Khalsa (born Stephen Oxenhandler[2]) was born September 29, 1942, in St. Louis, Missouri, to a well-to-do real estate development family. He was raised in a reformed Jewish community with whom he spent his youth between St. Louis and Palm Springs, California.[3]
In connection with one enterprise, Sweet Song Corporation, Khalsa and his associates were sued by the FTC for a telemarketing scam in which they falsely representing the value of gemstone investments, and in 1998 were barred from engaging in any business related to collectibles investments.[4]
In 2000 Harijiwan was sentenced to two years in federal prison for his involvement in a different telemarketing scam. The scam involved sending companies fraudulent invoices for toner,[5] as a result of the crime Khalsa received the nickname "Toner Bandit."[6]
Harijiwan has defended Kundalini master Yogi Bhajan against multiple allegations of rape and child abuse that emerged following his death.[7] [8] A 52-minute video titled “The Futile Flow of Fate” released on his website, and shared by Guru Jagat, begins, “Someone, I think, needs to speak on behalf of Yogi Bhajan.”[9] In the video, Harijiwan claims that the accusations were made for financial gain.[10]
Khalsa is a member of the musical group White Sun, they make New Age music inspired by the Sikh tradition. Their 2016 album White Sun II won a 2017 Grammy award in the New Age category.[11] [12] In 2018 they released another album, White Sun III.[13] In 2023 their album Mystic Mirror won a grammy in the same New Age category.[14]
https://www.ftc.gov/sites/default/files/documents/cases/1998/08/final_or.010.htm