Close X
Sunday, November 24, 2024
ADVT 
International

Indian Immigrant Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For $25 Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme In US

Darpan News Desk, 03 Mar, 2017 11:22 AM
  • Indian Immigrant Sentenced To 9 Years In Prison For $25 Million-Dollar Fraud Scheme In US
The FBI caught hint of the scam after the group used images of fake passports, including one that featured Canadian actress Laura Vandervoort's image from a television show.
 
An Indian-American man has been sentenced to nine years in federal prison for a multi-million dollar fraud scheme.
 
Amit Chaudhry, 44, from Ashburn, Virginia, pleaded guilty on September 21 last year to identity theft, money laundering and visa fraud.
 
"I never really dreamt of being a felon. This is going to haunt me for the rest of my life," Chaudhry said in Alexandria federal court on Thursday before being sentenced, the Washington Post reported.
 
According to the report, Chaudhry, who emigrated from India in 1992, helped his relatives overseas to operate a multimillion-dollar scam that involved money laundering from stolen credit cards and identities through shell bank accounts.
 
He was also part of a related scheme, advertising cheap travel packages. Clients' money would be stolen and their hotel and airfare would be paid for with stolen credit cards.
 
They also made more than $25 million off fake credit cards with the help of a co-conspirator working at American Express in India, the Washington Post report said. 
 
 
The group also used images of fake passports.
 
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) uncovered the scheme in part when an agent recognised a photo in one passport as actress Laura Vandervoot. The photo was taken from a scene of her television show "V" involving visas.
 
"What we're dealing with here is not a casual wrong turn," said Jeffrey Abish, the chief information officer for the defrauded company ActioNet. 
 
Chaudhry sent inflated and imagined IT invoices to the company, netting $4.1 million that he has now pledged to repay, according to the report.
 
Defence attorney Danny Onorato told The Post that "this was all done out of family loyalty".
 
Onorato added that Chaudhry has been diagnosed with Asperger's syndrome, which might help explain his behaviour.
 
However, Assistant US Attorney Katherine Wong protested Onorato's argument, saying: "Asperger's doesn't cause anyone to steal or open credit card accounts in someone else's name."
 
Chaudhry is cooperating with authorities, who are still finding more victims and tracking down co-conspirators in the US and abroad. 

MORE International ARTICLES

Canadian Attacked With Machete In Thailand In Stable Condition

Canadian Attacked With Machete In Thailand In Stable Condition
CHUMPHON, Thailand — Police in Thailand have arrested two men accused of slashing a Canadian man with a machete while trying to steal a gold necklace from his female companion last week.

Canadian Attacked With Machete In Thailand In Stable Condition

Nikki Haley Doing An 'Awfully Good Job': Donald Trump

Nikki Haley Doing An 'Awfully Good Job': Donald Trump
Haley is the first Indian American to hold the Cabinet-level position and served as the 116th governor of South Carolina from January 2011 to January 2017. 

Nikki Haley Doing An 'Awfully Good Job': Donald Trump

'Islamophobic' Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns

'Islamophobic' Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns
Thousands of foreign national workers allegedly expelled from country over visa violations and security concerns, as protests over unpaid wages continue 

'Islamophobic' Saudi Arabia Deports 40,000 Muslim Pakistanis, Citing Terrorism Concerns

Turkish Airlines Flight To Toronto Evacuated After Suspicious Note Seen In Bathroom

Turkish Airlines Flight To Toronto Evacuated After Suspicious Note Seen In Bathroom
A Turkish Airlines plane in Istanbul was evacuated Saturday after a suspicious note was discovered in one of its bathrooms.

Turkish Airlines Flight To Toronto Evacuated After Suspicious Note Seen In Bathroom

Indian-Origin Lawyer Banned For Harassing Ex-Girlfriend In UK

Indian-Origin Lawyer Banned For Harassing Ex-Girlfriend In UK
An Indian-origin barrister in the UK who was convicted of harassing his ex-girlfriend last year has been disbarred from practising law.

Indian-Origin Lawyer Banned For Harassing Ex-Girlfriend In UK

Indian-Origin Chancellor Rejects Chinese Students' Call Not To Invite Dalai Lama

A US university headed by an Indian-origin academician has rejected call by Chinese students to withdraw invitation to exiled Tibetan leader the Dalai Lama but assured them that his speech would have nothing to with politics.

Indian-Origin Chancellor Rejects Chinese Students' Call Not To Invite Dalai Lama